Pulled into Twilight
by amaven
Summary: Twilight fan-girl somehow gets transported into the fantasy world and is torn between wanting to stay and finding a way home. Rated 'M' for language
1. Chapter 1

**_Obviously I'm a Twilight fan-girl, and if you are reading this you probably are, too (yay us!). Also all the characters from Twilight are not owned by me. The story started out as a joke towards hardcore fans that wasn't going to be shared, but I actually got really into it and found an ending I liked so here we go._**

**Chapter 1 - Introduction**

Becca and I both held our breaths…the cafeteria scene, the first scene that showed Edward. He walks in the door, looks up…his eyes black, his face beautiful.

We both gasp, and then giggle.

"Ah…we're pathetic," I gasp, and sigh.

"He is so beautiful!" Becca grins, no shame.

I would think that the two of us would have a better grip on reality. We weren't the teenagers that the movie and books were aimed towards. I am a fantasy nut, I have a giant bookcase, six feet tall, packed with books from the Sci Fi and Fantasy section in Barnes and Noble…plus the overflow on a shelf in my bedroom of books I just hadn't gotten around to reading yet. Some from a series that I had fallen out of love with, others that had looked promising or were recommendations from online sites and other Sci-Fi lovers. But the Twilight saga had drawn me in, sucked me in. All the hype on the movie…I had to go and see it. I had originally bought the first book just to see what all the hype was about.

Boy did I find out!

I called up Becca one week, about a month after the movie had been out, and asked her if she wanted to go. Before that Becca and I hadn't talked for a few weeks…we were sometimes friends, good for a night at the bar or a movie on the couch. We both had our jobs, our own things to do…we were busy people. Actually that's not so true, we were both rather boring people, me more so than her.

I didn't expect to fall in love with the movie so much. And I _never_ expected Becca to do the same. After the movie we stopped at Wal-mart, the only store open after the late night movie, and got her first book as well, and myself the next two books.

Becca doesn't even read, and she finished it faster I had! Then we went back to the movie again.

And again. We got all of the books, devouring them.

And a fourth time we went to see the movie.

And then the movie stopped playing, to make room for another new release. This was in the beginning of January.

The fairy tale…the fantasy…the love story. It's something that…really interested us, I guess. Both of us weren't in a relationship, and hadn't been in a relationship for a while. Sort of in the mind-set that all men were selfish pigs, but the thought that a decent one was still out there had us hopeful. We fell in love with the characters…wanting to be part of their fairy tale.

Becca is the one who told me this, for someone I had put so little stock in, she understood this better than I did. She was absolutely right. I wanted to be in that story. I wanted my fairy tale love, the mix of danger just made it a more exciting read.

Becca and I have even resorted to watching illegal copies on the internet. Horrible quality, the lips start moving a second after the words begin, the picture is blurry unless it's on a still enough shot. But it fed our addiction.

I've dealt with my obsession with fantasy fairly well…I have several fantasy series that I read half a dozen times over, absolutely in love with the stories and the magic behind them. I knew if I gave myself a few weeks it would fade into a memory, I would always enjoy the series, but I wouldn't be obsessing about it like I was now.

Except that Becca kept me hooked, she was my drug dealer and these books, this movie, was _my_ heroin. I could try to say no, maybe go without for a day…but eventually her own excitement mixed with mine over the series brought me back, making me take another hit.

And I'm okay with this. Becca is happy, we're talking daily now, hanging out…not just about the Twilight series, either…doing things together. She's become my best friend. More than I wanted a fairy tale, I wanted (and needed) a friend. With work and everything else…I had sort of lost a lot of mine. If I had to be a Twilight junkie to keep something in common with her, just so I could have easy access to human interaction outside of work, it's worth it.

"I wish I had known about these books when they first came out," Becca sighed. It was a Saturday night, the website that had been hosting an illegal copy of 'our movie' had been temporarily shut down. This happened a few times before, we had found another site with a poorer quality version and used it, and I was searching for it now…for _any_ site that had it…we both wanted to see it.

"No…no you really don't," I muttered, backing out of a website that my anti-virus screamed wasn't safe. "Trust me, waiting for the next book in a series to come out can be murder…I know, remember how excited I was when the last Harry Potter novel came out?"

Becca laughed, and then moaned, "Edward!"

A large picture of Edward had come up on the next site I had clicked, and I smiled, too. The man who played Edward was gorgeous as Edward. "Oh, baby!"

"Back off! He's mine!" Becca nearly screamed at me, and we both laughed. Shortly after watching the first movie, Becca had called 'dibs' on Edward. To even the score, I took Jasper, Emmett, Carlisle, Jacob, and James…I felt it was a fair trade. Although I really did like to look at Edward. How could I not? He was the only one who was unattached, single…sort of.

I had read all the books, how could I not fall in love with him, too?

"Just looking," I promised Becca with a sly smile. "Until you fall asleep…that is."

She poured a shot of Captain Morgan into a glass, and filled the rest with Coke. We were already a bit tipsy…okay, she was a bit tipsy. Her tolerance for alcohol wasn't as high as mine was. I drank a lot more…I blame work.

Another reason, as Becca pointed out to me, the reason the fairy tale had appealed to us so much. Our lives were so _boring_. What did we do besides work, sleep, and drink?

We watched our illegal copy of Twilight, even the poor quality version satiating us. Only a few more months and it would come out on DVD. We'd both buy it…I was even considering buying a big-screen TV and a blue ray player for the occasion. Becca walked home, I watched out the window to make sure she was steady enough on the icy street, until she disappeared behind a snow bank that hid her apartment from my view. Another bonus, Becca lived just down the street from me. Perfect distance to get trashed at my place or hers and only have to worry about rolling down or crawling up the hill afterwards.

I sat back down at my computer, closing out of the half-dozen ads that had popped up because of the crappy website I had to use. I grabbed my Twilight book and had it in my lap while I surfed the internet a bit. It's such a pain to have to find a new site every few nights, what I needed was a decent quality version to download, and then burn to a DVD. Not a bad idea, that way I could go over to Becca's house…and she did have a larger TV. Not much larger than mine, but her couch was more comfortable.

A lot of the sites demanded a credit card…and made McAfee go into a fit. I didn't trust anyone who would illegally provide a movie, feed my addiction, enough to provide personal information to them.

'Download _TWILIGHT_ for free!' A website promised. I clicked it. I was ten pages into my Google search, my eyes were getting heavy from the late hour and the booze. McAfee didn't throw a fit, and there were no prompts for my credit card when I accepted the download.

I sighed at the time it would take, rubbed my eyes, and rested my head on my Twilight book on my computer desk. Before I fell asleep I reminded myself to drink some water, take the edge off the thirst in the morning. It wouldn't be a hangover…it would be dry mouth and funky breath, but not a hangover.

It was unusually warm, not uncomfortable, just unusually warm in my apartment suddenly…I guess not suddenly, I had fallen asleep hunched over my computer desk. I was afraid to move, I was only twenty-four but sleeping in an awkward position was already giving me back pains. Heh, don't let me get into my gray hairs that were occasionally showing up in among my brown hairs…freaked out for a week over those and have been faithfully dying my hair since.

"I've never given much thought to how I would die. But dying in the place of someone I love, seems like a good way to go. So I can't bring myself to regret my decision to leave home. I would miss Phoenix. I'd miss the heat. I would miss my loving, erratic, hair-brained mother. And her new husband. But they want to go on the road. So I'm going to spend some time with my dad. And this will be a good thing. I think." I tensed a bit as the monologue played. My mind started working, the download had estimated half an hour…so I hadn't dozed off that long at all.

Slowly I moved to sit up, expecting to see my computer screen and the intro to the movie, excited to see it, even. I'd probably call Becca, wake her up, and brag that I had finally found a good download. Well, first I'd see if the quality was worth saving on my computer.

When I sat up to see I was looking at a blank wall, I froze. _Where the _hell_ is my_

_computer!_ I looked around…and the louder thought in my head was, _Where the hell_ _am _I_?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 - Phoenix**

The room I was in wasn't mine, or Becca's. The smell of alcohol and tobacco wasn't there, didn't coat the walls like it did at our apartments. My heart started pounding, and I felt a bit sick. I closed my eyes again, and put my arms in front of me to grip the table. Taking deep breaths I told myself that I hadn't even drank _near_ enough for a hangover let alone hallucinations, or a deep enough sleep to be kidnapped and move into someone else's room.

I found the courage to open my eyes, and nothing had changed around me. My eyes fell on my hands that were still gripping the table, which was a small desk, in front of me.

One thing had changed, _me_.

My fingers longer, my nails short and plain. The manicure that Becca had given me, the half hour she had spent filing my nails so they were uniform and then painting the French tips, gone.

I almost laughed at my anger, anger at losing my cute manicure over losing my own actual hands!

Those weren't my hands, fingers too long and thin, hands too small, too. My wrists that connected them were thinner, frailer, and paler. I continued to look up my arm, not seeing my occasional dark dot of a mole, just smooth porcelain skin.

I was wearing a short-sleeved yellow shirt. I never wore yellow! I don't think I owned anything yellow! Yellow makes you look fatter, and I was still stressing over the twenty pounds I had gained in college.

Speaking of my extra twenty pounds, my hands went to my stomach…those were gone. Gone.

I stood up so fast the chair knocked over, and I searched the room for a mirror. No mirror. It was an unfamiliar bedroom…there was a door. Did I want to see who might be outside that door? No, I didn't. But there was something wrong about me, something different. There was something wrong about _everything_.

Slowly and quietly I walked to the door, there weren't any sounds outside it. I opened it, cringing as it squeaked, and went into the hallway. There was a bathroom down the hall a bit, and I tiptoed to it, slamming the door shut, then groping the wall for the light switch.

The bright light flooded the small room, and I was already in front of a large mirror.

"Holy shit," I groaned, leaning against the sink.

My brown hair was longer, wavy. The highlights that Becca had convinced me to do were gone, too, but the hair still reflected the light in a very pretty way. My brown eyes were still there, naturally dark, perfectly normal. My glasses were gone, and I wasn't wearing contacts, but my vision was clear.

My face, wasn't my face, though.

Kristen Stewart's face, as it had been in the movie, stared back at me. Bella's face.

"Oh, this is one intense dream," I muttered, gaping at the mirror.

There was a knock on the door, making me jump, "Bella, honey, are you going to be long?" A tender voice said.

I recognized the voice, Renee, Mom. I didn't recognize it from the movie, no matter how many times I had watched it the character had such a small part that I almost didn't notice her. But I recognized her as my mother, suddenly…but she wasn't!

"Just a minute, Mom," the words escaped my mouth, very natural and calm.

"Your plane leaves at noon, I'm going to help Phil pack the car," she said, and I heard her footsteps walk away.

I laughed, wondering how much of this dream I would remember when I did wake up. With a stiff neck and back, no doubt. It didn't feel like a dream, there was still that lingering fear when I had woken up, the anxiety that gripped my stomach now…and a bit of excitement.

I stepped out of the bathroom, and nearly walked into my mother…Bella's mother. "Hey, you have your carry-on packed? I don't know if I trust the mail to get the rest of your clothes there on time on Monday, maybe you should pack a few sets of clothes for school."

"It's done, Mom," I said, smiling at her. "I'm ahead of you on that."

"Oh, you always are, aren't you?"

She put her hand on the side of my head to hold my gaze with a warm and loving smile, then walked into a living room, picked up another bag, and went back outside.

I followed her outside, stepping into glorious heat. Dry heat. I had never experienced anything like it.

I looked around…_I was in Arizona_!! I had lived nestled against the Canadian border all my life, I had never experienced heat like this. A comfortable dry heat, bright sun…wow.

I walked around the house, amazed by it. I had never left Minnesota before. How could I dream up this place?

"Come on! Guys, I love you both, but we've got a plane to catch!" A man's voice called.

I turned around, seeing Renee was behind me…looking at me with worry. "You don't have to…" she started.

"I want to, Mom," I assured her quickly. "I'm…I'm going to miss this place," I muttered. "I'm going to miss you, too."

She pulled me into a hug, and I wrapped my arms awkwardly around her, "I'm going to miss you, too!"

Phil talked happily on the way to the airport. I smiled and laughed when appropriate…_what a strange dream. Do I always dream like this and just don't remember it? Do I always realize that I'm dreaming and think like this…just roll with it?_

Well, I wanted to roll with this. It was interesting, plus, if this was going the direction I thought it was…the other characters from the movie would be here. How far would I get, how many scenes could I go through before I woke up? Would I see the beautiful vampires of Twilight? And if I was playing Bella's role…

A happy smile formed on my lips as Phil pulled into the airport.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3 - Forks**

I'd never been on a plane before. Renee and Phil stayed with me until I boarded, doing everything for me. Occasionally I felt a compulsion to do something, but mostly I just shadowed them with my happy smile.

On the plane, however, I watched the clock steadily tick by. And that's when I realized…I wasn't dreaming.

There was no way I could dream of my ass being so numb and uncomfortable that I wouldn't wake up. There was no way a dream could be this coherent, this steady…real time. Anxiety pulled in my stomach again, and I was afraid that with the movement of the plane was going to make me throw up.

"Are you okay?" A flight attendant, male flight attendant, asked with concern.

"I…uh, I'm just nervous," I said, taking a deep breath.

He smiled and sat in the seat next to me, "First time flying?"

"Yeah, it is. I'm…I'm more nervous about what will happen when I land, though."

He ran a hand through his hair, he was blonde. Cute guy, my age…or, my real age, not Bella's age. He was probably twenty-four, maybe twenty-five. And he was flirting. Flirting with a seventeen year old…pervert. "Why is that?"

I laughed, "Because I'm about to meet a coven of vampires."

He laughed too, "Let me guess, family?"

I smiled, realizing I was flirting back. "Yeah, you can say so. I'm…going to meet my dad for the first time in…" ever, "…a while. About a year, I guess."

Another flight attendant walked past us and gave him a disapproving glance, and he sighed, "I should get back to work. If you need anything don't be afraid to let me know."

I turned my head to watch him leave, and then looked back and let out a slow breath, 'Well, Mr. Flight Attendant, give me your phone number and if I ever get back to my real body I am going to call you…that way you won't get arrested what I'm thinking about.'

For the rest of the flight my anxiety was gone, and then the plane had to land. None of that had been in the movie, but…this wasn't really the movie. This was something very different. Maybe I was in my head, catatonic on the floor of my apartment. Maybe one of the beers I had drank had been laced with something. I could be foaming at the mouth and trying not to drown on my own vomit. It wasn't a dream…it could still be a hallucination. But I was doubting that, too.

Perhaps my own love of fantasy, my desire to _have_ a fantasy, let me wonder what if something had just transported me into this world I had fallen in love with? It hardly seems fair…since I knew exactly what happened in the movie, and in the book…all four books, in fact. I knew the moment, the second, when I would see Edward. What he would say to me…what I would say to him. Or, what the script made Bella say to him.

What if I didn't play by those rules? The script? What if I shouted at the top of my lungs that his family were vampires? Well, knowing what I knew from the books, they would kill me. They wouldn't like doing it, but they would to protect themselves. What if I chose to go to the prom with Mike, leaving Edward to sit at the edge of the story as a bystander? What if I…

I nearly had a panic attack when I thought of it…what if I died? Would I snap out of it and go back to where I was supposed to be? Back to who I was? Or would I really die? The ache in my muscles as I walked off the plane told me that I was physically affected by this world. I may not be in anguish, but I felt certain that I could feel that.

And then I tripped in the airport, my arm breaking my fall. That _hurt_. Charlie was right there, helping me up, "You okay, Bells?"

I swallowed hard, fear chilling me to the bone. "I'm okay…Dad."

I rubbed my arm, what if I had broken that arm? First day at a new school with a cast…great. Repeat of my own life.

"Um…did you have to pick me up in uniform?" I asked, looking Charlie over, in his policeman's Blues, badge and gun, the whole shebang.

Becca and I both had agreed that for a guy old enough to be our father, Charlie was a good looking guy. I didn't see that now, I only saw him as…my dad.

"Sorry…I'm on duty today," he muttered.

An involuntary groan escaped my mouth as he walked me to his police cruiser, and then I laughed. "Want me to sit in the backseat?" He didn't think it was funny, and opened the passenger door for me. "Serious, we can put on a show for everyone. You can handcuff me and everything."

Wouldn't be the first time I had been arrested, I had gotten pulled over for drunk driving about two years ago, but I eventually got out of it. Some weird technicality.

It was a long drive to Forks, and the police car didn't have a radio. At least, not a good radio that we could use music to kill the awkward silence. All we had was the police radio, cracks of static and codes that I didn't understand.

"You're hair is longer," Charlie said.

I smirked, a line from the movie. Charlie's first line. "Yeah, I've been letting it grow out," I said, not following the script.

He pulled up to his house, our house. He carried my luggage that the airline had graciously not lost, leaving me just the carry on bag that I had refused to give up. The rest was packed up and in the mail, my belongings. Bella's belongings.

I walked automatically to what I knew was my room, wondering if the movie had told me that or if I just knew it because I was supposed to be Bella. "I cleared some shelves off for you in the bathroom."

Great, I have to let the hunky-dad see my tampons.

"The sales-lady picked out the bed stuff. You like purple, don't you?" Charlie asked, his brow wrinkling.

I smiled at him, thinking daughterly thoughts, "Purple is great, Dad. You…you are doing fine," I said, deviating from the script again. It was painful to see Charlie try so hard to please _me_, when I wasn't really his daughter.

_Charlie isn't real_! I shouted at myself, he is an imaginary character, I am his imaginary daughter, and the father-daughter bond between us is imaginary!

"I'll…I'll let you get settled. I'm going to do a quick patrol, but I'll be back."

Charlie looked around, muttered "Okay," and then left.

"One of the best things about Charlie. He doesn't hover," I said to myself, following the script.

I looked through my collection of clothes as I put them away. One of the suitcases held a laptop and a small collection of CDs. CDs that I didn't know, did not listen to, and mostly hadn't heard of. Bella's taste in music was not my own.

The clothes weren't bad. Casual, comfortable. A lot of jeans, a few khakis, and a lot of sweaters and long-sleeved shirts. My personal wardrobe consisted of similar things, but a lot more t-shirts with funny sayings that were a size too large to hide my expanding stomach as my diets failed. All of Bella's…my new clothes, fit my smaller form nicely. I was tempted to go back to how I dressed in high school, more revealing clothes. With a figure like this, how could I resist?

Sunday was a long and awkward day. Charlie wasn't a talker, and I didn't know what to say, to ask him. Mostly I wanted to know how long this would go on. Tomorrow I would be going to school, I would see many male leads from the film that I had drooled over, fantasized over…giggled over with Becca.

A new horror. I was going back to _high school_! I had barely made it out with my sanity the first time!

I let out a groan.

Charlie responded immediately, "You alright?"

I sighed, trying to calm my suddenly panicked nerves, "Nervous about tomorrow," I admitted. That was reasonable. He would assume because it was my first day in a new school. If I tried to tell him that I was really twenty-four year old computer programmer from Minnesota who was obsessed with a vampire novel series and its first movie rendition that I was now staring in…well, Bella wasn't supposed to spend her first day in Forks in a therapist's office.

I had to start playing the part, I realized. Any deviation…what would happen? Happen to me, to this world? I might just go back to normal, but…I could set a rippling affect of disaster that would…

"You want to stay home tomorrow?" Charlie asked.

"No!" I answered quickly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 – Back to School**

I felt sick enough to stay home on Monday morning. I went through the motions, though. Showered, fixing my hair, brushing my teeth, dressing in my clothes. I had to at least get Bella some nice panties. Maybe when Jessica and Angela took me to Port Angeles…

I swallowed hard. What if I did something before then that made Edward not want to follow me there? Not want to save my life at all? I may not be able to recite the script word for word, but I could get it close.

A horn honked outside. Charlie was probably waiting for me to get downstairs so I could go to school…and then I remembered an important character was about to be introduced. I went to the window, seeing a big truck in the driveway, and two Native American's outside talking to Charlie.

I went downstairs, eager to meet Jacob. I always laughed and called him Shark Boy. I'd have to be careful not to call him that here.

"Bella, you remember Billy Black?" Charlie said, pointing to the older man in the wheel chair.

I looked at Jacob first, I had to! Now that I was closer to his age, I felt I was allowed to. Then I looked at Billy, "Yeah! You look great!" I said.

Billy shrugged, "Still dancing. I'm glad you're finally here, though. Charlie here hasn't shut up about it since you told him you were coming."

Charlie rolled his eyes as I grinned at him, "Alright, keep exaggerating and I'll roll you into the mud."

"After I ram you in the ankles!" Billy laughed, taking the wheels of his chair and turning to chase Charlie.

I looked at them, laughing…enjoying it. Not because it was a good comedy relief in the movie, because it was a comedy relief for my life at the moment.

"Hey, I'm Jacob. We…uh, we used to make mud pies when we were little," Jacob grinned, stepping towards me.

"Yeah, I remember," I laughed. I looked back at our fathers, "Are they always like this?"

Jacob nodded and shrugged, "It's getting worse with old age."

Charlie and Billy were coming back, and I turned to them. Charlie slapped the box of the pick-up, "So, what do you think?"

Act surprised. "About what?"

"You're homecoming present," Charlie said, eyeing the truck.

"This?"

"Just bought it off Billy here."

A smile touched my lips, "I totally rebuilt the engine," Jacob said.

"Oh god, this is perfect!" I said, almost squealing in delight. Thank you high school drama class. I hated the pick-up, I wanted my Cobalt back. Small and cute even though it barely ran anymore. I turned and went to open the door, as I did so I hit Jacob who was walking around the front. "Sorry!"

He grunted a bit, but waved off my sorry and continued to walk around. I was in the driver's seat, and he opened the door to hop in the passenger's seat. "Alright, um. You gotta double-pump the clutch when you shift, but besides that you should be good," Jacob told me.

Oh hell, a clutch. "That's this one, right?" I asked, placing my left foot on the left-most pedal.

"Yeah, yeah, right there," Jacob said.

It's been ten years since I drove a stick, and that was my mom's old Mazda. I hadn't drove a vehicle this size since I was sixteen, and that was when I had 'borrowed' my boyfriends pick-up to pick up my friends at a party.

I started it up, and turned to Jake, "You want a ride to school?"

"Oh, I go to school out on the reservation," he said.

"Right…" I muttered. "It's too bad, would have been nice to know one person."

I looked at the shift anxiously, the map to the gears was faded…crap.

"You know how to drive a manual?" Jacob asked.

I searched my brain…this wasn't part of the movie.

"I know how, it's just been a while," I muttered. "Let's see." I placed my palm in the shift, but didn't wrap my hand around it. I tried to remember the gears, reverse…first, second…

"You won't get it into third," Jacob laughed. "But yeah, you got it."

I grinned at him, "Well, I don't think I'll need anything but first in town. You really rebuilt the engine?"

Jacob nodded, grinning at me now, "Sure did. Now that Charlie bought this, I can start working on my own car."

"That's great. When you're done you should come over and hang out." Was that an alright thing to say? I'm sure it said it in the books at one point.

"Yeah, I think I will. I should go. See you around, Bella."

I reversed as slowly as a turtle would crawl out onto the street, shifted into gear, all the while praying that I wouldn't kill the engine as Charlie watched.

The school wasn't a long drive. I had seen it when Charlie had driven me home Saturday afternoon. The parking lot was full now, it had been empty that night. I found a parking spot, killed the engine and locked the doors. No idea _why_ I locked the doors. Out of habit, I guess. My iPod was probably worth more than the truck.

"Nice ride," a young boy said, nodding toward my truck.

I looked him over, he was black, cute…and my age. Not young, my age. Tyler. "Thanks," I muttered, walking into the building.

The secretary at the office had been expecting me, "Isabella Swan! Oh, you look so much like Chief Swan!"

I nodded, "Yeah…um, do I have a class schedule?"

"I have everything for you right here, dear. Schedule and a map. Your first class is English, then Trigonometry, then Physical Education…" Oh god! Gym class? NO! Nuh uh! Not fair! I haven't had to run laps in over six years…this was going to kill me. "Then you have lunch, Biology, and your last class is Government. I've marked all the rooms for you."

I hoped that I just looked nervous to her, but I truly was horrified now. It had taken me two years of college to get over my horrible high school days. Now I was being thrown back into them? It really wasn't fair. Ugh. And Gym. I had never been an athlete myself, and I knew damned well that Bella wasn't.

"Hey! You're Isabella Swan, the new girl!" An Asian boy said, running up to walk beside me in the hall as I looked at the map, trying to find English. "Hi, I'm Eric. The eyes and ears of this place. Anything you need? Tour guide, lunch date, shoulder to cry on?"

Eric...poor Eric was already setting himself up for me to break his heart. "Um…I'm really the more suffer in silence type," I said, remembering the script.

"Good headline for your feature! I'm on the school paper, and you're news, baby. Front page."

"No I'm not!" I said quickly, as horrified as Bella had been in the movie by that thought. "Please…don't…"

"Whoa, whoa. Just relax!" Eric gave me reassuring smile. "No feature. Cool?"

I let out a breath, "Thanks. I…uh, I really just, want to blend in."

"No problem," he smiled still.

"Um…maybe you could help me find my English class?" I asked.

He held his hand out toward my paper, "Let me see who you have." I gave it to him reluctantly, that piece of paper was more important than air at this point, if I lost it, _I_ was lost. "Ah, you are right up here. And your Trig class is this room, once you are done."

I let out a relieved breath when I got that paper back, "Thanks…Eric, right?"

He grinned when I said his name, "Right. I'll see you at lunch, Isabella."

"Um, it's just Bella," I corrected.

"Bella, no problem."

There were a few faces I recognized in English, they glanced at me curiously but they wouldn't introduce themselves yet. They were reading Moby Dick, I was only a few chapters behind, unfortunately…I would have to catch up. I had never read that book in my life, it had never been on the required reading list when I had been in high school. Great.

"Hey, I'm Tyler," the black boy from earlier said, leaning across the aisle to talk to me in the last few minutes of class. "You are Isabella, right?"

"Just Bella," I corrected with a sigh.

"Bella, cool. You know, I really did like your ride. It's a classic truck."

I laughed, "Really? It's older than we are."

He shrugged, "It's better than a mini-van, isn't it?"

I thought about that, and laughed. I had been stuck with the family mini-van throughout high school myself, "You got me there."

He grinned, "How do you like Forks so far?"

"Um, well I just got in on Saturday. It's…it's a change."

"Well, I'd love to show you the sights…" Tyler started, and the bell rang. "…sometime. I'll see you around."

At least Trig was going to be easy. I had always been good at math. The refresher the teacher did was all I needed to catch up, and I'd see if I could get Charlie to invest in a scientific calculator for the class later.

Gym…volleyball. I had actually liked volleyball in high school. There wasn't much difficulty in standing in one place and then hitting a ball if it ever got close to you. I got ready for it…

But it seemed that I inherited Bella's absolute _lack_ of athletic skills. At least I hadn't always been picked last for teams. The first time I hit the ball, it hit just my knuckles and flew into the back of my teammate. "Sorry!" I said quickly. I should have been under that! I would have been if my arms weren't just a bit shorter with this body.

My teammates quickly saw me as a weak link after a few more tries like that, and the opposing team saw it, too. The server spiked the ball right at me, straight at my head. I smacked it, open palm. More to get it from breaking my nose, than to keep it in play.

I heard one of the boys on the other half of the gym call out in pain, and my eyes widened. I had been so absorbed in the game, that I had forgotten what was supposed to happen…what was going to happen.

I ran over, "I am so sorry! I…"

He turned around, bright blue eyes at first angry, but quickly turned stunned and a smile spread across his lips. "Oh…no no…that's, fine!" he said quickly. "You're, uh…Isabella, right?"

"Just Bella," I corrected quickly, already annoyed with the name Isabella.

"Okay, hey. I'm uh, Mike. Mike Newton," he said, extending his hand. I reached out and shook it. His hand was hot and sweaty, strong. What a cute kid, I should be calling him jailbait.

A girl that had been on my team ran over and stood next to Mike. "Hey. She has a great spike, doesn't she?" Mike released my hand and put it on the back of his head again. "I'm Jessica, by the way."

I nodded, I already knew that. I had been avoiding the bubbly girl all day, her glances and her attempts to gain courage to speak to me in our English class and in the hall.

"You're from Arizona, aren't you?" she asked happily.

I nodded, "Yeah…" I had barely spent hours there, and I missed the heat.

"Aren't people from Arizona supposed to be, like, really tan?!" she asked, bobbing her head so her pony-tail swung around.

My smile faded and I looked away, "Yeah, maybe that's why they kicked me out," I muttered.

They both started laughing, "You…You're good!" Mike chuckled.

Jessica giggled, "Heh, that's so funny."

I had to get away from their eyes, I waved awkwardly and went back to my half of the court. I thought the long game would never end until the coach told us to head to the locker room.

It was bad enough to have to dress in front of others, the horrible humiliation of it. All of the corners of the locker room were already claimed by the tenured students…I was stuck in the middle. At least my love-handles were gone.

Mike and Jessica walked me to the lunch room. Of course, the only place I didn't need directions and now I couldn't shake the two of them.

"What class do you have after this?" Mike asked.

"Biology," I said, I had the schedule memorized, but I knew that after lunch would be Biology, I had been anxiously looking forward to it and dreading it all day.

"That's great, we have the class together," Mike grinned. "I'll introduce you to Mr. Melina."

Jessica rolled her eyes on the other side of me. I wanted to tell her I was sorry, that I didn't want his attention, I didn't want any attention except from one person…and I wasn't even sure if I wanted _that_.

I carried my tray to a table that Jessica had pointed out where I would sit at, she didn't give me a choice. Mike took a few quick steps in front of me, and pulled out a chair.

"Thanks…" I muttered, setting my tray down and taking a seat.

"My pleasure, madam," he grinned.

The chair was next to Eric, and I cringed when I knew the rivalry would be shown. "Hey! Mikey, you met my home girl, Bella!" Eric said, staring at Mike with a smug face.

Mike blinked in shock, "Oh…you're home girl? Really?"

"My girl!" Tyler said, coming up from behind so I didn't see him. He kissed my cheek, and my eyes grew wide with shock. How…what the hell? Were teenage boys this…eager when I was in high school. No, they most definitely were not! Was it this story, this body I was in…what?

Tyler grabbed the back of Mike's chair, pulling it out from under him so he fell. "Sorry I had to mess up your game, Mike!"

Tyler ran off, Mike was quickly after him.

"Oh my gosh!" Jessica giggled, moving closer to me. "It's like first grade all over, and you are the shiny new toy."

"Smile!" A new voice said, and a flash blinded me. "Sorry…had to get a candid for the feature."

I blinked, but the spots still blinded me. "The feature is dead, Angela, don't bring it up again!" Eric said.

"It's okay…" I started, wanting to tell Eric to back off Angela. Angela was going to be a good friend to me, and it bothered me that he was snapping at her.

"It's okay. I got your back, baby," Eric said, getting up from his chair and patting my shoulder.

I hated the script. I hated being in the center of it…the three boys all eager for attention, my attention, that they did these antics to make the others look bad. Screw the script! I'm ending it, right now.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5 – Bring in the Vampires**

I ignored Angela as she muttered sadly about the paper being ruined, their feature story a dead end. I poked at my lunch, nibbling on a piece of bread, my jaw set. What if I just became a mute? Surely I wasn't going to draw _more_ attention to myself by talking, saying my lines. I had always been an introvert, the attention being dumped on me these past two hours…nuh uh. Maybe this wasn't as great as I had thought before, the only attention I wanted was from…

The door to the cafeteria opened, and I glanced up. My breath caught in my throat.

Emmett was massive and adorable. Rosalie looked tiny and petite and glorious beside him, holding his hand. When Becca and I had been divvying up the hot males of the film we had always put their female companions on 'vacation' somewhere, so we could fill their place. Or so I could fill their place. Becca didn't have competition, she just considered herself Bella, Edward's one and only. Well…_I_ was Bella now…would I be Edward's one and only?

Emmett was handsome, and he smiled as he looked at Rosalie, a half smile that showed me how much he adored her. That right there killed any lusty thoughts I had for him, he was taken and not interested in anything or anyone else.

Jessica saw me staring, and answered the question I had avoided asking, "Those are Dr. and Mrs. Cullen's foster children. They keep to themselves, because they are all together. Like, together, together. The big guy is Emmett, and the blonde girl is Rosalie…they are a thing. I'm not even sure that's legal."

"Jess, they aren't really related," Angela laughed.

"But they live together, it's weird!" Jessica complained.

I knew all this, but still I was nearly breathless. I wasn't insane like Bella was, I felt how they were different…dangerous. I knew what they were capable of. What they would want to do to me when I crashed into their perfect peace in Forks.

"The little dark-haired girl is Alice, she's really weird," Jess continued as Alice and Jasper made their way in. "And she's with Jasper, the blonde one that looks like he's in pain."

Of course Jasper was in pain…he was trying not to kill the students.

"Dr. Cullen's like this foster dad slash matchmaker," Jessica smiled.

"Maybe he'll adopt me," Angela laughed.

I looked to the door, it was opening again. He walked without giving me a second glance, I don't think he even gave me a first glance, and I turned my face to my lunch tray. "That's Edward Cullen. Totally gorgeous, obviously. But apparently nobody here is good enough for him," Jessica said. "Like I care. So…yeah, seriously, don't waste your time."

I took a deep breath, but kept myself mute. I looked over my shoulder, glancing back at the Cullen's table. Edward was looking at me now, his face too far away but I knew that he was trying to read my mind, that he was wondering why he couldn't…or could he? Did I have Bella's quality of keeping my mild silent from him?

He looked away, and I wondered if I would find out.

Mike came back as I was walking out of the lunch, and walked along side me. "Biology, here we come!" he said brightly. "What do you have after Biology?"

"Um…Government," I muttered.

"Awesome, me, too. Ah, here we are," Mike motioned for me to walk in first. "Mr. Melina, this is Bella Swan."

"Ah, Bella. I have your book right here, and an open seat for you," the teacher said. I had to walk one more step, into a fan that was blowing the warm air from the heater above out into the class. What if I shut it off instead of walking through the flowing air? It would look strange…

But what if I was sitting right next to Edward when he smelled me? If I was Bella, I would be irresistible to him. He was going to be haunted the rest of the class hour, thinking of ways to kill me. Did I really want to be right next to him when that first thought crossed his mind?

I stepped in front of the fan, frowning as my hair flew into my face, and took one more step out of the air, smoothing my hair away. I took the book from Mr. Melina, and looked at the open seat.

Edward had his hand covering his nose and mouth, looking at me in horror and pain. I looked at him, not in fear, but sympathy. I was going to torture him, and as long as he didn't kill me, he was going to hate me.

My heart began to race as I sat next to him, not sure if I trusted this alternate world. If Edward could read my mind, surely he would see that I wasn't what I appeared to be…my thoughts would have given him a warning of what was coming. That I knew his secret, knew _far_ too much about him and his family. I could safely assume that he did not know my thoughts, and his reaction to my smell meant that…I really _was_ Bella.

I sat next to him, moving my chair away from his as he did the same, like little kids who thought that those of the opposite gender had cooties. Mr. Melina placed two little glass jars at our table, I considered taking mine but before I did Edward's arm was moving slowly over to push one my way, and take his away. He removed his hand from his face, and glanced over. His eyes were pitch black, and fierce.

"Are you alright?" I asked softly…and nearly smacked myself. It wasn't part of the script, but it was a stupid thing to do. Don't antagonize the hungry vampire!

He looked away, and I did the same. I could imagine what he was thinking, his visions of tearing open my skin and drinking my blood, quenching his thirst. I wondered if he had done so, what he would do with all those witnesses.

He suddenly stood up, grabbing his books in a fluid movement, and was past our desk before the bell rang. I looked after him, releasing a breath I felt I had been holding the entire time. I was in dangerous territory. Screw what I had thought before, I needed the script. The script may be the only thing to keep me alive. Edward had to love me more than he wanted to kill me…and I had to at least make it to that part.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 - Aftermath**

"You alright? You look…hm, nervous," Mike smiled. "I moved to Forks about six years ago, first day is always the worst."

I nodded in agreement, "Yeah, it is. You'd think I'd get used to it, I've been to so many different schools. It's meeting new people, that's the hardest." I clenched and unclenched my fists a few times, trying to untense as he walked me to Government. My heart was still racing, along with my mind. Paying attention to Mike was helping me relax from my near-death experience.

Mike sat next to me once we reached the class, "Well, you have me, and a few others. There are only a few hundred more to go."

"True," I laughed. "So what do you guys do for fun around here?"

Mike shrugged, "We're planning on hitting the beach in a week or two, when it warms up a bit."

I wondered how bad I would sound if I asked him if there were any good parties in Forks, one where people went to a supplier for beer and liquor and all the teenagers get trashed. I could use a beer after this. Then I thought of Charlie…I suppose I should avoid getting grounded for a while. I could probably sneak one or five from the fridge after he went to sleep…

"What about where you are from?" Mike asked.

Where I came from, I went to the _bar_ because I could! Normally I just went to the liquor store and got a bottle of rum so I could work at home while I worked up to a nice buzz…oh and I watched you a few dozen times because I'm obsessed with the movie you are in. I shrugged, "I lived in the desert, all of it was a beach."

Mike laughed a bit too loudly, and the teacher quieted him down with a harsh glance as the class started.

My backpack was heavy as I walked to the school office. Mike was following me, still chatting. I had a thought to ask him to carry it, he would have, it looked like he even wanted to offer. I had never, in my entire life of high school and college combined, had so much homework. Restarting high school after being gone six years, plus starting half a dozen classes in the middle of a subject…ugh. It was a good thing, I thought, that the next few days Edward was gone. In the movie it only lasted minutes, but I knew it was going to last a few days for me. I would catch up, I would get acquainted with the high school, the work. I saw him, face-to-face, close enough to touch, it was close enough. But I couldn't forget one part of the script, one part I felt, from reading the books, was important, important enough to make Edward feel the need to leave, to run from Forks.

"Where are you going?" Mike asked as I turned, going in a different direction. "Parking lot is out here…"

"Oh, I…I have to go in here for a minute," I said. "I'll see you tomorrow. Thanks for your help, Mike."

He grinned, "See you tomorrow, Arizona."

I stepped into the office, and heard his voice for the first time. "There must be something open. Physics, Biochem…?"

"I'm sorry, every class is full," the secretary said. She glanced at me, "Just a minute, dear." She looked back to Edward, "I'm afraid you'll have to stay in Biology."

Edward turned his neck, his muscles tensing under his shirt, looking over his shoulder at me…the fierce gaze there again. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to stay quiet. The rebellious part of me wanted to tell him to have a nice vacation…but I rather liked my blood where it was. No need to antagonize the hungry vampire. "Fine…I'll just have to endure it."

I walked up to the secretary and handed her my piece of paper without a word.

"How was your first day, Bella?" she asked before I could turn around and walk out.

"It was…it was alright. Thanks for your help earlier."

I would need to memorize the buildings floor plans, I could have escorts to each class…but I didn't want them. I didn't want Mike or Eric following me around all the time.

Charlie took me out to the café for dinner. I tried not to look at Waylon…it was hard not to scream at him to run from Forks…he was a…he was going to be a victim. In a few weeks he was going to be vampire-food…dead. Maybe…I'm sure it wouldn't make much of a difference of who it was, Waylon or some other Joe…

What if Waylon isn't there, James and his coven continue to search, and they find…Mike or Tyler instead? Or Charlie…or me?

I was rather quiet through the meal, repeating the movie in my mind, finding holes in the script that I would have to wing, and what areas that if I screwed up could prove devastating…for me or for the other characters of the story.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 – Welcome Back**

I don't know why Bella complained so much about the rain in the books. The heat of Arizona was nice, but I absolutely loved the smell of the rain here. Everything was fresh and clean, green…it was like Minnesota except no snow.

How easy it was to transition myself back into high school, and how _different_ it was. In high school I had been a self-made outcast, but I liked half of the students here. Mike and Angela were fast friends, Jessica, too. Eric and Tyler were…there. Avoiding their attention and attempts at affection were difficult. Mike, at least, was playing the friend angle, and playing it well.

Dammit, I was starting to like high school.

The remaining Cullen's shot me curious and accusing looks occasionally, but they were just background to the daily activities. I was busy. English class, next two chapters of Moby Dick and a paper summarizing them. Do a hundred trig problems. Go to gym, avoid maiming myself or someone else. Lunch, listen to the gossip, laugh and enjoy it. Sit at my empty biology table, walk with Mike to Government, go home, do homework, eat with Dad, call Mom. A routine that…I fell into easily and almost happily. Well, I wasn't a very good Bella, I was enjoying Forks a bit too much.

During lunch, it had been over a week since I had seen Edward and I was wondering if he hadn't left for good. Had I repulsed him that much? What happened if the story didn't play out as it was supposed to? How had I fucked this up?

A lot of the students were talking about prom. I had never gone to my own school's prom. I didn't give a damn, I was worrying about my own problems, but trying to fit in seemed important.

"What's the theme?" I asked casually.

"We haven't decided yet," Jessica frowned. "We need to get on it, though, we don't have much time."

"Who are you guys going with?"

The table fell silent, "It's too early to start asking people out," Jessica muttered, shooting a nervous glance to Mike.

"Oh…" I looked down at my plate. I glanced over at the Cullen's table, it was empty. I looked at the clock, "I'm going to head to class."

"Yeah, I'm done, too," Eric said, following me. I noticed Mike swallow without chewing, his eyes widening as he hurried to finish his lunch.

We cut across the yard to get to Biology, it took twice as long if we had to go through the full hallways. Eric had showed me this short cut my second day when he had beaten Mike to offering to walk me to class. I had been so absorbed by Edward that first day I had barely noticed that Eric shared the class with us.

Eric was chatting quickly about prom now, talking about how he was covering it for the paper and was helping gather play lists. I wasn't really listening, I'd heard too much about it already. We stepped into biology, and I froze. He was back.

I racked my brain, things were missing. Where were the warning signs that he was coming back? The animal attack that had Charlie worked up, Eric asking me out on a date…

"Hey, listen, I know it's a bit early, but I was wondering did you…have, a…a date…" Eric started.

I turned to him, eyes wide in horror, as Mike pushed himself between us, breathless from running. "What's up, Arizona, huh? How you liking the rain, girl?"

I let out a nervous laugh, still concerned over…over the holes in the whole thing.

"Yeah, Mike, hey, you're real cute, man," Eric said, glaring at Mike's intrusion.

I met Edward's eyes, and their voices faded out. I walked over to my seat, sat down and moved as far as I could to my right to give him space. Charlie was supposed to give me new tires for my truck, it was supposed to be freezing rain, a man was supposed to be dead…I was supposed to have a near-death experience this afternoon that Edward had to rescue me from. But Charlie had never given me tires, never told me about the attack…this hole in the movie terrified me. If there was one hole, there could be more…several…

Oh shit.

"Hello," a quiet voice said beside me.

I turned, he must have thought I was terrified of him. I was terrified, with this world. And I had started to like Forks so much.

"Hi," I replied, turning away.

"I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to introduce myself last week. I'm Edward Cullen. You're Bella?"

I could have said it in sync with him, had been tempted to try. My concerns faded and were replaced with determination. I had to play this part _right_. I had to give Edward a reason to want to protect me, save my life when the time came.

"Yeah, that's right," I said, turning to the front of the class as Mr. Melina called us to attention.

"Separate and label your slides into the phases of mitosis, the first group finished will win the golden onion!" Mr. Melina grinned, all too excited for the lab.

Why couldn't Bella take Physics? I was good at Physics, it was math. Biology…dammit.

"Lady's first?" Edward said, sliding the microscope closer to me.

Anxiously I put my hand on the microscope, what had that first slide been? Prophase or Anaphase? Anaphase….almost positive. But…maybe Prophase.

I leaned in to look, and remembered a line. I glanced back at him, "You were gone?"

He looked away, smiling a bit, "Yeah, I was out of town for a couple of days. Personal reasons."

I looked into the microscope, we had just studied this in our last class. I had to use my brain.

I had no idea what the hell I was looking at under the microscope. Apparently I had learned enough from Mr. Melina to realize that this was neither Anaphase or Prophase. "This…looks like Metaphase."

"Mind if I check?" Edward asked.

I pushed the microscope towards him. He glanced at it, and nodded. "Right, Metaphase."

I let out a breath, at least I didn't look like an idiot. I couldn't even rely on the damned movie, now! Argh.

He wrote down the answer on the work sheet, taking his time, it seemed. He looked over at me, smiling, "So are you enjoying the rain?"

I laughed, I had to do something to ease the tension.

He narrowed his eyes, but still smiled, "What?"

"You're asking me about the weather?"

"Yeah…I guess I am. Hm."

"Well…" I looked out the window. "I don't like the rain. Any cold…wet thing." I shuddered. It was a lie. I really didn't mind it. It was a bit tiring to have nothing _but_ rain.

He let out a laugh. I grabbed the next slide, and held it out to him since he didn't give up the microscope.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," he shook his head, and reached out to take the slide. I waited for the tips of his fingers to touch mine, but they didn't. He looked into the microscope. "It's Prophase."

Sure! There was Prophase. I looked at it without asking, "Yeah, Prophase." I muttered, recognizing it. I took the next slide, taking a deep breath, and then trying to hide a triumphant smile. "Anaphase."

Edward pulled the microscope back over to himself, and looked. "Anaphase," he nodded. "If you don't like the cold and the rain so much, why did you move to the wettest place in the continental US?"

I shrugged, "It's a long story." NO! That's wrong! "It's complicated." I corrected.

He met my eyes, "I'm sure I can keep up."

"Well…my mom remarried and…" I stopped, and shrugged.

"What, so, you don't like the guy, or…?"

"No!" I said quickly. I had only spent a short amount of time with Phil but he was great! "Phil's…Phil's really nice."

He narrowed his eyes, and went back to the microscope. We finished first, just as we were supposed to, and Mr. Melina handed us the golden onion. Edward handed it to me without a word, and I took it, gripping it anxiously in my hands.

The bell rang, and I looked at him in surprise…he was still there. I stood up first, and he followed.

"So why didn't you move with your mother and Phil?" he asked.

"Phil's a minor league baseball player and he travels a lot. My mom had to stay home with me, and I knew it made her unhappy so…I decided to stay with my dad," I said, thinking over my words and wondering if that was close enough to what had been said.

"And now you're unhappy?" Edward asked, towering over me as I leaned against my locker.

"No," I answered. Far from it, actually…mostly, normally I'm quite happy here. Except now that I have to rely on you to save my life.

"I'm sorry, I'm just trying to figure you out. You are very difficult for me to read," he said.

I stared into his golden-brown eyes, almost mesmerized. His eyes. "Did you get contacts?" I asked, almost breathless.

He looked at me, confused, "No."

"You're eyes were…black the last time I saw you," I said, my voice sounding sad. I knew this would make him run off.

He closed his eyes, "Yeah…uh, it's the fluorescents." He muttered…and turned away.

I sighed, watching him leave. Please, Edward…don't let that damned van kill me after school today.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8 - Holes**

I took my time finding the key to unlock my truck, struggling with my heavy backpack and looking at the keys. The conditions weren't really right for the accident, but I was taking my time to give Tyler the chance to almost kill me. And then I saw Tyler and his van drive past me…and out onto the street. My jaw dropped.

What the hell! Come on! What was going on? I remembered feeling that it was unfair before, that I knew every little thing that was going to happen…and now these holes, deviations from the script! My head was going to explode.

"Hey, Bells. Internet is up and running, now," Dad said when I got home.

"It is?" I breathed, and disappeared upstairs.

My laptop was already connected to a phone line…dial up. Oh hell no, I was going to freak out on him. But first…I had to check something.

I didn't exist, Bella was not a real person. The chance that someone named Isabella Swan really existed, sure, that's possible. Maybe even an Edward Cullen somewhere. I had to find out if…in this world, my world still existed.

I searched the company I worked for first. It was real. I went to its staff website. I had been the unlucky one who had to keep it updated, it had profiles for all of the management. My breath caught as I saw my boss's name, my co-workers…

My name wasn't there. The site looked different, almost sloppy. Obviously not my work, either. Of course, since I didn't work there, some other idiot was maintaining it.

What the fuck?

Unreal tears started flowing…I felt so…helpless, right then. If…what happened?

My boss and co-workers were _real_, they lived! Would they remember me? Would Becca?

I grabbed my cell phone, and snarled in frustration. I didn't have phone numbers memorized, who did anymore when all of your important numbers were saved in a portable phonebook and would be wirelessly transmitted to a new cell phone if you wanted them to.

It was late by the time I had given up searching for things online. Logins for games and email weren't active, and other than that I didn't have any profiles online. The last thing I did was search for Becca. Her cell phone number couldn't be found, but I could get her parent's number luckily. It was too late in Minnesota to call them, but I could wait until the morning.

I could barely sleep, and when my alarm woke me up I felt like I was half dead. I called the number that I had found online, Becca's parents.

"Hey…I'm sorry, I know it's early, but…I'm a old friend of Becca's, and I lost her number. Would you be able to give it to me?"

"Old friend, huh? What's your name?"

"I'm…" I froze for one second, and hung up.

I fell onto the edge of my bed. "What's my name?" I whispered.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 – Save me**

It was on the tip of my tongue. It was _not_ Bella. I knew that.

I was amazed when hysterics didn't set in. Charlie hollered up the stairs, reminding me I should be getting ready for school. "I'm on it, Dad," I hollered back, my voice sounding normal though I was freaking out inside.

I was stuck here. There was no _me_ anymore. I knew I wasn't who I was…but…I couldn't be myself.

I took a deep breath, and got ready for school in an ancient routine. Shower, fix hair, clothes, brush the teeth… Possibilities of my future swimming through my mind. Live out Bella's life…live out Twilight? Maybe that would be the end of it. But…if it wasn't, I had New Moon, Eclipse…and Breaking Dawn to live through. I wasn't _nearly_ as well versed with those. And so far this life was following the Twilight movie, not the book. The other movies had not been made, yet…possibly not even written. And I couldn't follow them. I was going to have to wing it, a lot more.

Should I follow it? I knew how to take myself out of the dangers that were waiting for me. All I had to do was call Mom, crying…tell her the kids were mean at school, that Charlie was making me miserable, that I hated the rain, that I missed her and Phil. She'd get me on the next plane the hell out of here and away from Edward.

Edward.

Just thinking his name made my heart jump. "Oh god…" I moaned, realizing that I was too absorbed in the story to leave. I _wanted_ to experience this fantasy. I thought more thoroughly just what I could be getting into. The pain and long months without Edward in New Moon, and happy times with Jacob. The threat of the Volturi, trip to Italy which would be a plus. Eclipse was fairly tame, not much action except for the end and I'd be out of danger for a good portion of that. The breathtaking moments with Edward on a remote island in Breaking Dawn…the terrifying pregnancy and birth and becoming a vampire and climatic showdown with the Volturi. I could read all those books in a weekend, could I really survive two years as Bella, though?

I stepped outside, and made it three steps before my feet slid out from beneath me. I landed hard on my ass, and my eyes widened as I realized everything was covered in ice.

"Hey, you alright?" Charlie asked in concern and confidently walking across the ice to help me up.

"Yeah…yeah," I muttered. "Ice…the roads…"

"Yeah…well, I got you some new tires for your truck this morning. The old ones were getting pretty bald."

Charlie helped me to my feet and kept his arm on my elbow as I walked more carefully to my truck. "Thanks," I breathed.

"Don't mention it," he muttered, backing away and heading to his car. "Drive carefully."

"You, too," I said, looking at him…waiting for it. The animal attack. _TELL ME_.

He got in his car, and drove off.

I gripped the steering wheel until my knuckles ached. Driving on ice didn't phase me. I learned how to drive on the ice, I was a pro. I could spin a cookie so artfully, even in this beast, that it would put NASCAR to shame. No…I was afraid of what was coming after school today. Forget surviving the next two years, would I survive the end of today?

I may not have been as sweet and innocent as Bella. But I had never had my life threatened. The closest I would consider I ever came to dying was rolling my car when I was eighteen, and even then…I hadn't been afraid. Of course, it happened so fast I couldn't have felt fear, just the shot of adrenaline.

The parking lot was mostly empty. Charlie had gotten me moving early, probably because the roads were so crappy. Not to mention all the other students would have difficulty getting moving this morning, busses, too.

Edward and his family were around his Volvo. He looked over at me as I stepped carefully out of the truck, testing the icy lot. I was going to break my neck.

I slammed the door to the truck, and my feet slid under me. I twisted and grabbed the box of the truck before I fell, my bag falling to the ground. I let out a breath, and made sure I was steady on my feet before bending over to grab my bag.

There was the squealing of tires, and I swallowed hard. I felt as if I was in slow motion when I turned. A giant blue van was skidding across the lot…at me.

A scream tried to escape my throat, but it was only a choking sound. This wasn't right, it was supposed to be after school, not now! I wasn't ready! I was supposed to have hours of dread leading up to where I chickened out and hid so this didn't happen!

The van was just a foot away, and a hand reached out in front of me. The passenger door of the van hit the hand, and was crushed. My mouth hung open as I stared, the hand slowly moving from the van.

It had been so fast, too fast for my panicked brain to register. Edward's left arm was protectively around me, holding me close to him. I was suddenly on my knees, he must have dragged me down to keep us out of sight.

I looked at Edward, my mouth still hanging open. His face was only inches from mine, his arm secure around my waist as he held me. His eyes were intense as they looked into mine, and I could see myself mirrored in his. We had the same expression on our faces, an expression that said, 'Oh shit.'

He released me and he lifted himself to the back of my truck, and was gone.

I sat there, breathless, as Tyler stuck his head out the passenger window. "Bella, I'm so sorry! I…"

I looked at the dent his hand had made in the side of the van, "He saved me…" was all I could said, my voice not even loud enough to be a whisper. A strange feeling surged through me, and I repeated it in a stronger voice, "He saved me."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 – Hello Doctor**

There weren't many people at the school, but those who were there gathered around. Someone helped me to my feet, someone else was calling 911, everyone was talking…but I didn't hear a word they said.

My eyes fell on the silver Volvo still in the parking lot, I saw Rosalie and Emmett and Alice and Jasper, staring at me in disbelief, horror and fury. I looked away quickly, "I'm fine…really, I'm fine. Just startled," I started saying.

The ambulance ride was uncomfortable. Tyler was muttering apologies behind the paramedics that were fussing over him. My heart was still racing, felt like it would burst from my chest. I almost died today…but _he saved me_.

Well, either he was programmed to save me in this world, or I was doing something right.

Tyler's injuries weren't bad enough to force him to be sedated, and after the short ride to the hospital I wish they _had_ sedated him. Sitting on a gurney as a nurse filled out a form with Tyler just a few feet behind me being prepared to have stitches.

The door opened, and I almost said Charlie's words for him. "Bella!" his voice rang with relief, and I looked back to him. "Are you okay?" Before I could answer he turned to Tyler, "You and I are going to talk." And then he was by my side, and I almost couldn't breath. The worry in his face…had never been like this in the movie. It was genuine, very real. "You alright?" he asked again.

"I'm fine, Dad." I assured him.

"I'm sorry, Bella, I tried to stop!" Tyler said…for the _hundredth_ time.

"I know! It's okay!" I said, my patience no where near where it should have been. I just wanted him to shut up, he was making a fuss about it. Of course if I had nearly killed someone, I would, too. But that would be different. I was a real person, not a fictional character. What he had done…well, it was supposed to happen.

"No!" Charlie nearly growled. "It sure as hell is not okay." I hadn't meant to release the wrath of Charlie on Tyler…but whatever shut him up. "You can kiss your license goodbye."

"Dad…" I started.

"You could have been killed!" Dad snapped at me.

My mouth shut quickly, he was angry…he was angry because he was afraid. My mother had told me the exact same thing after I had rolled my car, in that same tone. I nodded, "I know, but I wasn't. Let's…just be grateful, alright?" I said. "Really, I'm _fine_, Dad." I had to assure him, for my own sake. Seeing him like this was worse than watching the van come.

Charlie took a breath, and nodded.

The door opened again, I turned again, and my mouth fell open. "I heard the Chief's daughter was here," he said in a smooth voice.

"Dr. Cullen," Charlie said, relief in his voice.

"Charlie," Carlisle nodded. He stepped around my gurney, and I was moving so I never had to take my eyes off of him.

Wow.

I was so glad I had called dibs on him. It wasn't so much that he was beautiful. Pale skin and blonde hair…he radiated confidence. And closer to him, looking into his golden-brown eyes…he radiated kindness, too.

"I got this one, Jay," he said, taking the clipboard from the nurse. He looked it over, "Isabella," he said as he read my name.

"Just Bella," I corrected…out of habit, now.

He looked up at me and smiled, "Well, Bella, looks like you took quite a spill, how do you feel?"

"Good," I said, watching his every movement. How he flipped through the papers on the clipboard, pulled a pen from his pocket, how he narrowed his eyes at me when I talked.

He held up one finger, and then shined a light in my eye, "Look at the tip of my finger," he said, moving the light back and forth. "You might experience some post-traumatic stress, and some disorientation…but your vitals look good. No signs of any head trauma. I think you'll be just fine." He said, smiling finally and putting his little flashlight away.

"I'm so sorry, Bella…" Tyler started up again.

Dad wasted no time in closing the curtain to cut Tyler off. I smiled, and shook my head. That part always gave the crowds in the theater a laugh.

Dr. Cullen was writing on the paper now, and I was chewing my lip thinking of what I should say. If I did not say this part, would it impact anything? The parking lot had been nearly empty, did everyone think I survived on my own…or did someone see him? This wasn't how it happened in the book or the movie, exactly…at least. "Am I good to go?" I asked with a hopeful smile.

He looked back up to me, "You sure are."

"Thank you, Dr. Cullen," I said, hopping off the gurney.

Dad took my backpack, following me out of the room, "I have to go sign some paperwork. You should…uh…call you're mom."

I froze. I looked at Dad with annoyance, "Did you tell her?" He looked guilty, and shrugged, no anger left in his features. "Great…" I sighed, and laughed. "She's probably freaking out. Hm." I was thinking I'd rather liked having two parents fuss over me…and I wonder if Renee would be as quick to calm down as Charlie was.

And then I remembered, as I walked down the hallway of the hospital with my phone in my hand, who I had to speak to first.

I slowed my steps, listening to quiet voices. I was at the corner before I could understand what they were saying. "What was I supposed to do, let her die?" Edward's voice was low…angry.

"This isn't just about you, it's about all of us," Rosalie hissed…the venom, the anger in her words sharp, terrifying me. She was talking _about_ me…she hated me.

"Maybe we should take this in my office," Dr. Cullen said quietly, and his eyes were on me peaking around the corner.

I swallowed hard, my eyes on Edward. He wasn't looking at me, he was avoiding looking at me. "Can I talk to you?" I asked.

"What?" he barked at me, reaching the corner where I was.

I looked at his face with wonder, and he looked back at first in anger, then curiosity. I was supposed to ask him how he did it…tell him I knew what had happened, that he couldn't hide the fact that he wasn't human from me.

"I…" I bit down on my lip. "I wanted to say thank you."

He rose in eyebrow, his face still curious.

"I…I doubt you'd give me any answers, and you'll probably try to…convince me that something else happened. But…I don't care, really. Thank you…for saving my life."

"That's all you wanted?" he asked, his voice low and menacing.

I shook my head, "No, I don't know if anyone…saw what happened. If anyone knew you were there. I didn't tell anyone you were…"

"Why?" he asked, leaning forward.

I swallowed hard, "I don't know. I…I thought if I did you might decide to leave again, and I don't want you to…to have to leave because of me. I will…I won't tell anyone anything you don't want me to. But I know what I saw, I know that…I'm alive because of you."

His face looked stunned, amazed. And I walked away, back to where Charlie was still signing papers.

I really, _really_, hoped that didn't come back and bite me in the ass. I still had a good few months left of this series to survive through, and I was going to need Edward's help.

I had spent nearly half the school day in the hospital, and Charlie was happy to let me stay home where I was safely under his watch the rest of the afternoon. I curled up on the couch across from him, and called Renee.

A smile spread on my lips as her frantic voice answered the phone. I let her speak a full five minutes of her concerns before I even got to say a word.

When she did pause to let me talk, I had to laugh. "Mom, I'm sorry I couldn't call earlier. Really, I am fine. My truck has a bit of a dent, I got so scared I nearly wet myself…but I'm fine. The best doctor in the state checked me out, even. Perfect bill of health, right here."

Renee was still in hysterics for the next ten minutes. I looked at Dad, and he gave me another apologetic look. "Mom, really…stop it. I…the whole thing happened so fast I don't know what happened. My day was completely _boring_, tell me what you did today. How is Phil?"

She calmed down enough to answer my questions. "It's going well. I'm looking for a house to rent, it's too early to say for sure, but it looks like this is…is going to be permanent. And I _love_ Florida! You would, too. Oh, you have to come stay this summer!"

"We'll see," I smiled. "And Phil?"

"Phil is great! He loves it here, too! He's trying _so_ hard, Bella."

My cell phone started to beep, threatening to die on me if I didn't get it on the charger. I reluctantly said goodbye to my mother, and once I ended the call Dad turned up the volume on the TV.

"Sorry…" he muttered.

"Don't worry about it," I gave him a smile. "What did you want for supper?"

"You've had a big day, Bells. You don't have to cook."

"I'd rather not eat out again," I told him. "Think about how much money we could save if we bought groceries and cooked…enough to get a DSL internet connection, I bet."

I'd be easy on him, today at least. But seriously, if I had to deal with dial-up much longer…I would strangle someone. Who in the hell still had dial up? I didn't even think you could get it anymore.

I fell asleep early that night, truly exhausted. And…I had a dream.

I knew that _I_ could dream, I often had strange dreams, and that was why when I entered this world I hadn't thought it anything more than a dream…but I don't remember by dreams very well. By the time I woke up and moved to shut off my alarm they were too vague, gone.

_This_ dream was vivid. Edward Cullen was there, and I was chasing after him, reaching for him, calling for him.

I woke up, breathing heavily. I half expected him to be there…and for some reason I thought he would be. I wondered if I should look under the bed, or in the closet. The window was securely shut, if I had woke up so suddenly…he couldn't have gotten out.

I rethought just how powerful the vampires of the Twilight series were…yeah, he probably could have.

"Jesus…" I breathed, swinging my legs over my bed, hoping the movement would make the dream fade…but it didn't. I pulled my blanket with me…I _felt_ like I was being watched now. Maybe he really was there, or maybe I was just paranoid. Either way, I wasn't necessary _dressed_ and it was cold. Oh god…

Edward watched Bella, _me_, sleep, I may have flashed him.

I laughed quietly, and climbed back under my covers, making sure they were tucked under my chin…and then I gripped the top blanket. It hadn't been there when I went to sleep, I knew that. I had my purple sheets, and my purple comforter…this one was rougher, heavy.

Edward Cullen was in my room. Or had been. And had given me an extra blanket. I laughed again, and then snuggled into the warm bed and blankets, and fell back asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11 – Stupid Boys**

Saturday I had gone through the boxes of clothes that Renee had sent me, fishing out old sweats and t-shirts and a few sets of pajamas, and put them into the drawers. It had been years, probably since I really _was_ in high school that I slept in PJs, and now I felt…I don't know, obligated to wear them. I suppose since I was living with Dad…Charlie, I should anyways. How horrifying would it be for him, and me, if he came into my room one night to check on me and there was his little girl in all her glory.

I shuddered at that thought, and was thankful that Charlie gave me privacy…but I knew Edward would not. And…I didn't think I wanted him to. That he had been watching me sleep…it didn't bother me. Maybe because it was what he was supposed to do. He was supposed to watch over me, protect me…be my fairy tale prince, protector.

Monday I woke up excited. Anxious, even. I would see Edward today…and I wasn't sure what would happen. Would the script continue to go as it should…or would my unscripted dialogue on Friday spin out of my control?

I saw him at his lunch table, he didn't look at me. Well, he couldn't avoid me in biology.

"Look at you! You're alive!" Mike said energetically at the lunch table.

I went to look at him, but Edward turned his gaze at us. I swallowed hard, and forced myself to look at the less appealing Mike.

"Yeah, I guess so," I said.

My eyes went back to Edward, he was still staring at me. His eyes wide, he looked…almost angry.

"So…what do you think?" Mike said, moving so he was in my line of sight.

"About what?" I asked, meeting his eyes, stunned. I hadn't heard a word he had said!

"Do you want to go…to Prom…with….me?" Mike said, his confidence and smile fading.

My eyes got wide and my jaw dropped. He wasn't supposed to ask me here! He was supposed to ask me outside, in the parking lot…alone without witnesses! Jessica was quiet, her head down. Eric the same. Angela was talking quietly to someone to my side but I didn't turn to see who.

"Prom?" I squeaked. "I…uh…" I swallowed hard. "I can't. Um…I'm going to Jacksonville that weekend." The script was the only thing I could think of, give him an excuse. Use the excuse.

"You can't go another weekend?" Mike asked, looking crushed.

"Non refundable ticket," I said quickly. "Um…sorry, Mike. I'm, I'm honestly not into Prom anyways. You'll find someone…more fun, to go with." And to give him a hint, I moved my eyes towards Jessica down the table.

"Oh…hm, alright," he muttered, walking away from the lunch table.

I took a deep breath, and my eyes automatically moved over to the Cullen's table. Edward wasn't looking at me now, but the profile of his face was a smirk.

The movie was still playing, but…argh, I kept getting thrown off on the main parts. They were moving around on me, throwing me off balance, surprising me.

Mike didn't walk with me to biology, I walked alone. The first day since I started, I had to walk to a class alone. I sat next to Edward, "Hey," I said.

He looked over, nodded to acknowledge my existence, and looked away again.

I glared at him, "What, you aren't even going to talk to me?" He probably saw me naked this weekend, and he wasn't going to say a word?

He got out of replying when Mr. Melina started the class. I rolled my eyes, tapped my pencil, shook my foot…annoyed. Finally I let out a breath and muttered, "Whatever."

Edward glanced over a few times, his brow wrinkled with annoyance as I fidgeted. I tried to ease up, again…trying not to antagonize the vampire.

"Remember, Wednesday we have a field trip after lunch hour to the green house downtown. Make sure your parents have signed your permission slips and you have them with you. If you do not, you don't go, and you will have to attend study hall with Mrs. Goff."

That was when Edward would talk to me again….according to the movie. That also was when Mike was supposed to ask me out. Stupid teenage boys.

"Mike, you have a minute?" I asked quietly as he walked past my table at the end of class.

"Yeah?" he looked at me hopefully.

I walked with him, very aware that Edward was following, listening. "Listen, you ever repeat what I'm going to say I will cheerfully beat you to death…but Jessica likes you. She is _dying_ to go to Prom with you."

"Jessica?" Mike scrunched up his face in confusion.

I wanted to smack him. I had read the book, I should have known it would be difficult to play matchmaker between those two…Mike was infatuated with Bella…with…wow, with me. Hm. I shook that out of my head, "I can't believe how dense you are," I muttered. "It's up to you, but…she wants to go to Prom, she is excited about it. And I know that there has to be a lot of guys trying to build up the courage to ask her."

"Jessica…" Mike said, more thoughtfully. "Hm…"

I let Mike get ahead of me, "Stupid teenage boys," I muttered under my breath.

I heard a chuckle behind me, but I didn't turn back to see who it was. I knew who it was, already I knew his laugh and voice…I had known it already. I slipped into my class, feeling fairly satisfied with myself.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12 – Field Trip**

I nearly tackled Charlie when he came home, demanding he sign the stupid permission slip. As soon as he did I had it securely in my bag.

Tuesday the whole school seemed to be anxious. And in my first class I quickly recognized why…Mike had started the rush, the rush to find Prom dates. There were the few couples that had planned on going together long before hand. The majority of the student population was single, and they were looking hopefully at friends or crushes. I rolled my eyes, I had hated this in my own high school, and it wasn't much better now.

Edward continued to use the silent treatment. I muttered the word "Frustrating" under my breath in Biology, but got no response from him.

Wednesday, I had given up hope of him speaking to me again. After lunch we gathered outside in the parking lot, splitting up between two buses. He, Alice, and Jasper were waiting outside in the parking lot, talking quietly and away from the other students. I waited, too, I wanted to follow Edward onto his bus.

"C'mon, Arizona, let's get a good seat," Mike said, grabbing my arm and hauling me to the closest bus before I could argue.

When I got seated I watched Edward and his family pile into the second bus. I frowned, wondering what I had to do.

I had to be patient, first. If he didn't speak to me at the greenhouse, _then_ I could start to worry.

I wasn't really listening, the greenhouse floor was uneven and hoses for irrigating it slithered across the floor dangerously. I had lost Mike only minutes after entering, and the group around me was from an earlier class of biology, I didn't know many of them.

"What's in Jacksonville?" a voice asked.

I turned around, stunned. Then smiled, "Are you talking to me again?"

He glanced down at me, "No…not really."

I frowned, and turned away, taking a few quick steps to catch up with the group. One of the hoses twitched against the floor and caught my toe. I stumbled forward, my hands out to break my fall.

A strong hand grabbed the back of my jacket and pulled me back up, "Can you at least watch where you walk?" he hissed.

I looked at him, stunned again, "Thanks…"

I started to walk forward, more carefully now. "Look, I'm sorry I'm being rude all the time, I just think it's the best way."

I looked at him, wondering what I should say.

"Bella!" Jessica's frantic voice made me turn my head.

I was going to _strangle_ this girl. Edward walked away quickly as Jessica ran to my side.

"Mike just asked me to Prom!" she said, her voice very excited. "Um…this isn't going to be weird, right?"

"No. You and Mike are great together," I told her, trying to keep my voice from sounding pissed.

"I know, right!" Jessica grinned, apparently I sounded pleased enough for her. I was walking forward, trying to follow Edward, but he was too quickly lost in the sea of teenagers.

I would find him again…or he would find me. It was moving quite smoothly.

"Hey, Bella," Tyler said, splitting me and Jessica apart. "What do you say about going to the Prom with me?"

"What?" I turned to him, shocked. He had been at the table when I told Mike my excuse. What the hell?

He grinned at me, "Come to Prom with me."

I shook my head, "No thanks, Tyler. I'm going to Jacksonville that weekend."

"You would rather go to Jacksonville, than go to a dance with me?" He asked, his smile still confident.

"Yeah, actually, I would," I said quietly. His face darkened, his confidence gone. "Sorry, Tyler. I'm sure you'll have fun no matter who you go with."

It was much easier to hurt Tyler's feelings than it was Mike's. After all, Tyler had almost gotten me killed, and had done it on the wrong day.

I headed to the exit. The time for learning at the field trip was done, everyone was just goofing off and the chaperone's were unable to keep them reigned in. I would get outside, away from them, and look for Edward.

I was almost at the buses when Edward was suddenly next to me. I turned to face him, surprised, "Bella, we…we shouldn't be friends," he said, not looking at my face.

I let out a nervous laugh, "Why?"

"I'm not…good for you."

I took a few breaths, and shook my head, "Yeah, I don't buy that."

"I'm dangerous, Bella," he whispered.

"I know," I said quietly back.

"You do?" he raised an eyebrow. "No, you just think you do."

I shook my head, "No…no, I saw what you did to…" I glanced around to make sure no one was near us, then back to him, "…the van. How easily you could do it to someone else. I got that part, Edward. You are dangerous…but you are…good. You don't think you are." His face softened as I spoke to him. "That irritates me to no end, that you think you are something…wrong. Makes me want to scream at you." I laughed, that was exactly how I felt when I read the books. I loved the character even though he infuriated me at times. I reigned in my laughter and smile, I had to be careful here.

"This isn't very funny," he said.

"No, it shouldn't be. But you can imagine I've had a lot to go through the past few weeks…you can imagine, but you don't _know_." I shook my head, all laughter gone from my face and mood. "I'm not going to push you…though I very much want to. But by…avoiding me, ignoring me…you aren't helping anything."

We stared into each others eyes a long time, and a quiet voice said "Hi! Um…are you going to be riding with us?"

I turned to face Alice, and then I looked at Edward for approval.

His face was hard, but he didn't say anything.

"I guess I'll go back in the bus I came in on," I said quietly. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

He nodded.

I gave him a smile.

And he returned it!

This was going well. As long as I could keep Edward from killing me and interested enough to keep saving me…this could go well.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13 - Conversation**

Lunch the next day didn't come quickly enough. I glanced at the Cullen's table, and Edward looked my way. His face was expressionless, but at least he was looking at me.

"Hey! La Push, baby, you in?" Eric grinned up at me.

I had to return his smile, "When?"

"This Saturday," Mike answered. He was sitting next to Jessica…very close. Good for them.

"Yeah, there is supposed to be a big swell coming in," Jessica said.

"And I don't just surf the internet!" Eric proclaimed, jumping up on his chair and pretending to surf.

I laughed, shaking my head.

"Eric you stood up once. And it was on a foam board," Jessica brought him down.

"There is whale watching, too. Come with us?" Angela looked up at me hopefully. Sweet girl.

"La Push, baby!" Eric grinned at me again.

"Yeah, I'm in," I said. This was for Angela's sake, her eyes were pleading with me to not abandon her. She looked relieved when I said the words.

I slung my backpack over a chair, and went to grab something to eat…to separate myself from my group of friends so Edward could come talk to me.

He did not disappoint, "Bella?" he asked, smiling slightly.

"Edward?" I returned the smile. "Have you decided to stop ignoring me altogether?"

His smile faded a bit, "I still don't think we should be friends."

"But you want to be?"

"If you were smart, you'd stay away from me," he said in a low voice, leaning toward me.

I laughed, "And depend on Mike to stop the next car from hitting me?"

He winced, and then smiled. I made him smile!

I sighed, "I know you are going to say no, but I'll give it a shot. Come to the beach with us on Saturday? Hang out…loosen up a bit."

"You're right, I am going to say no. But thanks for asking."

I shrugged, "Seems impolite to not ask you…since everyone else has been asked." I looked around, a lot of eyes were on us. "I don't understand why they don't like you…they can't see what I do." I muttered to myself.

"They," he said, emphasizing the word, "are smart."

"Maybe you just haven't laid your charm on them like you have me." I suggested.

He laughed, "Charm?"

"You know as well as I do, every girl in this school, and I'm sure the female workforce as well, would eat dirt to have a chance to have you look at them with any sort of interest…"

"Like I'm looking at you right now?" he asked quietly, leaning forward a bit closer.

"Yeah…" I whispered back, my heart beating anxiously. He laughed a bit. "One day you'll have to explain to me why you do look at me like that."

He breathed slowly, carefully, through his nose, "Maybe. And one day you'll have to explain to me why you look _back_ at me."

I tried to steady my breath, "Maybe." I breathed.

Edward looked up the moment I stepped into Biology, a smile spread across his lips that was contagious, I smiled back. I took my seat, this time not moving it away from him. "How was your lunch?" I asked him.

He raised an eyebrow, "Wonderful, yours?"

"Not too shabby," I smirked, looking away as I felt my heart begin to race. I let out a bit of a laugh.

"What?" he asked.

I shrugged, "Nothing. I'm just having a pleasant day. And it's nice to see you smiling, too. You don't do it nearly enough."

Mr. Melina brought the class to attention, not allowing him a chance to respond. I stole glances, and found that he was still smiling, still eyeing me. I was rather enjoying my new world.

Friday was a long day. My group of friends were excited for the beach trip, and I began to wonder if I shouldn't skip it. Would it be possible to get Edward to spend the day with me? But no, the trip to La Push was important, even if it was only to gather information that I already knew.

"Why don't you sit with me today?" Edward said cautiously, walking beside me as I grabbed my lunch.

"And steal you away from your family?" I smirked. "Hardly seems fair."

"They'll survive," Edward returned my smirk.

"I bet they will. Where would you like to sit?" I asked.

He took my tray for me, and my backpack, and I followed him to an empty table. "What is that smile for?" he asked after a few moments of sitting across from me.

"I'm wondering what you want to talk about," I said, picking up a carrot stick and taking a bite.

"I'm more interested in what you have to say," he said.

My smile faded, "Hm…well, I guess you'll be disappointed, then. I can't think of a thing to say."

"I can wait," he said happily. "Tell me about your mother."

I looked at my tray as I thought about my mother. I wasn't thinking of Renee…I was thinking of _my_ mother. Suddenly I was thinking of my world again, the first time in a few days. Was time still moving in my world…did I simply not exist or did I disappear?

"What's wrong? You're sad…" he leaned forward, trying to see my face.

"I miss her," I muttered.

"It must be hard…being away from someone you've known your whole life, someone you love," he said softly.

"No…not really," I said. "It's not being away from her, it's just…not being…" I wanted to spill, right then. Tell him how freaking crazy I was, how I didn't belong in this fantasy world, that I was from the _real_ world and…that I was starting to miss it. "It's nothing." I shrugged, looking up and trying to force the thought out of my head. "I don't want to be a downer."

He narrowed his eyes at me, "You aren't. I want to get to know you, the good and the bad…"

"And the insane?" I tested.

He grinned, "If that is part of you, then yes. I do."

I laughed, "I don't think you are quite ready for that."

"You don't, do you?" he smirked. "Hm…"

"Maybe after you tell me about some of your insanity, I can share some of mine."

"That hardly seems fair."

I shrugged again, "You have to at least have an assumption of how interesting you are to me."

His smile was gone and his eyes were serious, "That's something that bothers me, actually. You don't seem curious at all."

Oops. Well…can't be curious about something that you already know.

"I…I don't want to make you uncomfortable, Edward. I'm…I'm afraid I'll scare you away," I said softly.

"That _you_ will scare _me_ away?" he asked, astonished. "You'll have to explain that."

"Maybe another day," I said.

"When?"

I smirked, "You want to commit to seeing me another day? I like that."

"You shouldn't," he warned.

"I know. I'm a stupid person," I said with the same smirk. "We've gone over this, I got it. Really."

"When?" he asked again.

I shrugged, "I'll know when the time is right."

"That's really frustrating, you know," he muttered.

I grinned, flashing my teeth, "I really can't help it…I'm…trying not to say too much, but you are too tempting to deny."

He laughed then, surprising me, "Am I? What if I begged? Pleaded?"

"That would be a very interesting thing to see, I admit. But it would create quite a show here. So to prevent that…" I frowned, can't believe I'm doing this. "You have to keep this quiet…but in a few days, maybe a week or two, I'm going to Port Angeles with Jessica and Angela. After that…I'll talk more. In fact, we both will." I had planned to avoid my disaster in Port Angeles, but the chance to go to a decent sized town with a few chances to bulk up my wardrobe was something I couldn't give up.

"A week or two?" he asked.

"It's not that long, Edward," I laughed, and then let it fade away into a serious tone. "So, as long as I survive the trip with them, we'll get a few things out in the open. Sound like a plan?"

We both got up as the first bell rang, I had barely eaten, he hadn't eaten anything. "I'm not going to wait that long," he said confidently.

"Try to persuade me all you want…" I said.

"Oh, I plan to," Edward said, an edge to his words that I had to smile at.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14 – La Push, Baby!**

What idiot thought it would be a good idea to go to a beach when it was only fifty degrees outside? Mike, that's who. People were taking turns in a van changing into wetsuits so they could go swimming in the freezing water. I'm from the frigid Midwest, I know cold…this was wet cold, though. I'd take negative degree dry weather than this any day.

Angela and I were wrapped up in blankets, and I was miserable. I should have asked Edward to spend the day with me, promised to tell him everything I knew…that I shouldn't know. And then the reason I came to the beach walked up to us.

Three Native American's walked up to see who was hanging out, and an already familiar voice called, "Bella!"

I looked up, and involuntary smile spreading across my lips, "Jacob! Hey. Guys, this is Jacob, friend of the family."

He nodded to the group of my friends, and sat next to me in the open van door.

"Yeah…hey, you guys can keep Bella company, her date bailed," Jessica said, glancing at Angela and back to the others.

"What date?" Eric panicked.

I rolled my eyes, "Edward has better things to do than watch you guys drown yourselves," I laughed.

"I thought it was nice that she invited him, no one ever does," Angela said, taking my side. Sweet girl.

"Yeah, 'cause Cullen's a freak!" Mike laughed.

I glared at him.

"You got that right," one of the Native's said. I turned my glare to him.

"Do you even know him?" I snapped defensively.

"The Cullen's don't come here," he said flatly.

I shiver ran up my spine, "With a welcoming party like this, it's no wonder." Jacob frowned and shook his head. "I'm going to walk around, try and warm up. Jake, want to come with?"

He got up quickly, "Sure, let's go."

I let out an angry breath when we were far away from the cars, "Sorry, but I think you're friend is a bit of a jerk."

Jake just shrugged, "Sorry. The Cullen's have a bad reputation out here on the res. So…you're friends with them?"

"With Edward," I said, happy to be thinking of him. "I haven't had much of a chance to meet his family."

"Yeah? So what's he like?"

"He's interesting," I grinned.

"Ah…I see, it's like that, is it?" Jacob returned my grin.

I shook my head, "No, it isn't."

"But you want it to be?"

"Wow, perceptive for a man. I'm impressed."

He shrugged, "I do what I can. Tell me, is Edward so perceptive?"

"I think he is. What do you think about the Cullen's, though? You don't seem as superstitious as the others. Head firmly on your shoulders, all that…"

"My dad believes a lot of crazy stuff. I've been fed it since I was a kid, but…it's just a bunch of crazy stories." He looked up at they sky, frowning. "That looks pretty bad."

I followed his gaze as black clouds rolled in over the ocean. I could press him about the Cullen's…but what was the point? "Still working on your car?"

"Yeah!" he answered eagerly, turning us around so we could walk back to the cars. "Coming slowly. Still need a lot of parts."

"Sounds like it would get expensive."

"Well I can find a lot of the parts I need at the junk yard. It's just that…well, there is a _lot_ of stuff in a junk yard."

"I can imagine," I laughed.

A sudden downpour started, and we were still out on the beach, a good distance from the cars. I groaned as the icy rain hit my bare face and almost immediately soaked through my jeans.

"Ah!" Jacob groaned, "Let's go!"

He grabbed my hand, pulling me as he ran, ran faster than I could, toward the cars. Everyone was running now. My shoes dug into the sand, then dragged as Jacob pulled, and I fell face-first. I spit the sand out, Jacob was muttering apologies as he helped me to my feet, and we were running again.

"Ugh…" I groaned, wiping wet sand from my face. At least it hadn't been concrete. Not a mark on me, just a bad taste in my mouth.

"All in?" Tyler shouted, and slammed the van door shut…right on my right hand.

I cried out in pain, _searing_ pain. He had opened the door quickly, my hand hadn't been in there for more than a moment, but the damage was done. "OUCH!" I screamed, holding my hand protectively against me. "Oh…" I clenched my jaw to keep from screaming obscenities.

"Oh no! Is it broken?" Mike fussed over me.

"Don't touch me," I snarled.

"Let me see, Bella," Angela said softly.

I held my hand out, it was trembling. Where the van had hit the worst it was white, all around it was red, and it was swelling.

"Alright, first stop the hospital," Mike said.

"Bella…I'm _SO_ sorry!" Tyler said, turning to look at me with wide horrified eyes.

I closed my eyes, "I'll live. I'll live. It hurts, but I'll live."

Pain like this…in a fantasy…a fantasy where soon I would have a bloodthirsty vampire hunting me. Pain that he would inflict was going to be a hundred times worse than this. Would I endure it just so I could experience the fairy-tale romance? Was it worth it? Worth _this_?


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15 – Emergency Room**

"Bella?" Dr. Cullen looked at me with concern.

I took a deep breath, the pain was still throbbing but it had numbed a bit. Probably because the swelling was killing my nerve receptors. "Hi, Dr. Cullen."

"Let me see?" He looked at my hand that I had clutched to my chest.

I glanced at Mike and Angela who hadn't left my side, Tyler had taken the van, with my insistence, to drive the others home. "Bye, guys."

"Don't be silly, Bella, we'll stay with you," Mike said, eyeing Dr. Cullen with mistrust.

I looked at him for help, "Isn't there some sort of doctor-patient thing that can force them out of here?"

He smiled, "Your friend is in good hands, I promise. Nurse, will you take them to the waiting room?"

I let out a breath of relief when they left, "This wasn't supposed to happen," I muttered.

"These sorts of things usually aren't planned," he said with a smile. "Now, may I see?"

I held out my hand, it throbbed with the movement and began trembling again. He took it in his cold hands, they felt like ice against my hot hand which was burning from the trauma it had been through. "This looks pretty painful," he muttered, his touch very light as he traced the bones. "I don't feel any major breaks, but we're going to take an X-ray to see everything."

I walked by his side to Radiology, and then back to the examination room while we waited for the X-ray. By then, Charlie was there.

He didn't seem upset, and not very worried, to this minor injury that felt anything but minor. "Does it hurt a lot?"

"It hurts more than anything else right now," I answered.

"How bad is it?" he asked as Dr. Cullen returned with the X-ray.

"Could have been worse," he said, putting the X-ray up. With a long pale finger he pointed to the bone that connected to my pointer finger, "There is a crack right here. We won't have to set any bones, but she'll need a brace for at least three weeks to make sure it doesn't become dislodged. I'll get you a prescription to help with the pain, use ice and keep it elevated until the swelling goes down."

Pain meds, finally. I smiled, "You are an angel."

He laughed, "Not quite, I assure you."

"Thank you, again, Dr. Cullen," Charlie said sincerely.

"Of course, Charlie. Take care of yourself, Bella," Dr. Cullen said seriously, meeting my eye.

The brace was fitted, secure, I got my first dose of pain meds, and I just hoped that Charlie made it back home before I passed out in the cop car and had to be carried in.

I at least made it to my bed, wondering why I had worse luck than Bella today. I couldn't undress myself, because of the brace and because the pull of sleep was too strong from the pain medication. Miserable. I locked my bedroom door, and just fell on my bed, on top of the blankets, too tired to care that it was chilly in the house.

I woke up early Sunday morning, blankets pulled up to my chin, my hand resting on a pillow, elevated and the swelling down…my bedroom door still locked. I blinked, my mind groggy but becoming clearer as the pain in my hand became a focus point. I looked at my window, it was closed firmly but wasn't locked, there wasn't even a lock on it. "Huh…" I muttered.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16 - Matchmaker**

I spent Sunday in a drug-induced haze. I had considered recreating Saturday night, putting myself in a position that Edward would want to correct, but I simply passed out before I could do anything. Monday morning I woke up early in pain again, I took Tylenol to take the edge off and tried not to aggravate it as I dressed myself.

I was eager, though. I'd see Edward today. I wonder what thoughts of vengeance went through his mind for Tyler threatening me twice, now. Did he have thoughts like that? My heart rate went up as I thought about Edward and his thoughts. This strange world…he made it worth it. Just thinking about him made me feel light-headed and anxious, excited…happy.

How pathetic, I was in love with a fictional character. Whether or not I was stuck in a fictional world, this wasn't a relationship that would end well.

I stepped outside, into the sunlight. My mouth opened in surprise, sunlight. Bright, but still cool, sunlight. Edward wouldn't be at school today.

I ran back inside, grabbing the newspaper that Dad had left on the table, and checked the forecast. Sunny skies today, rain tomorrow and cloudy skies the rest of the week. All of my excitement was gone. There would be no vampires today, no Edward to ask me how my weekend was and ask me how I had hurt my hand and give Tyler dirty looks for me.

Would this be the day that Jessica would want to go to Port Angeles?

Oh crap!

I forgot to set Angela up with Eric this weekend.

I ran back outside, ignoring the pain in my hand as I swung my arms, and jumped into my truck.

I was early, very early. I saw Angela's car in the parking lot, and went into the school. For such a small school it was hard to find her. And I was such a horrible friend, I didn't realize that finding her would be so easy!

She was in the office for the school paper, working on an assignment.

"Angela!" I panted.

She turned in surprise, and smiled, "Bella! Hey, what are you doing here so early?"

"I…I wanted to talk to you," I said, falling into a chair near her.

"Wow…catch your breath! Are you alright? How's your hand?"

I shook my head, "Please, don't worry about my hand, alright? Its fine, all patched up! Feels great!" I lied. "I…I feel like an ass. You were…down, on Saturday, and I was too preoccupied to ask you. And then all yesterday I was doped up…I felt horrible when I woke up this morning…"

Her eyes softened, "Oh…no, don't worry about me. I'm fine!"

"C'mon, Ang, I'm a rotten friend. I'm…so sorry. What's wrong?"

She looked away, frowning, "I don't have a date for Prom. Pretty much everyone does already."

"Not everyone," I assured her. "Who did you want to go with?"

"I was thinking that Eric was going to ask me, but…" she shook her head.

"Has he asked anyone?" I stared a bit too intensely, how badly had I screwed up this world for _her_?

"I don't know," she shrugged.

"Ask him," I said, making it sound obvious. "Women's lib and all that. Eric is sort of a shy guy, it'll take him _forever_ to get the courage to ask a girl out."

Angela laughed, "Yeah, you are right. But I'm pretty shy, too."

"Don't make me ask him for you," I said with a threatening smile.

"No! You wouldn't!" She looked back at me with wide, horrified eyes.

I gave her a softer smile, "I'll give you until lunch. You'll see all this worrying was for nothing. You guys have so much in common…its like, bound to happen."

Without Edward being in the school to distract my thoughts, lunch never seemed to come. If I didn't go to Port Angeles, what was the worst that could happen? Well…I didn't know, Port Angeles was supposed to happen.

I was sitting at the lunch table, only Jessica to keep me company, waiting for Angela to appear. My stomach was clenched in anxiety, and the Tylenol had worn off so my hand was throbbing again.

"Guys! I'm going to the Prom with Eric!" Angela said in an excited voice, her weight falling on the bench I was sitting at.

I looked up, relief was probably too clear on my face, and I quickly hid it with a happy smile for her, "See! I told you that it would happen!"

"Oh, are you sure you have to go to Jacksonville that weekend?" Angela looked at me, pleading.

"Yeah, positive…" I said. "I…I miss my mom like crazy." I looked at Jessica, waiting for her to say it…and wanted to hit her with my brace. "You know you guys should go shopping before all the good dresses are gone."

"Oh, yeah!" Angela said.

Jessica perked up with the thought of shopping, "You know, we should go tonight. Seattle has this…"

"Seattle is pretty far," I interrupted. "Why not Port Angeles?"

"Yeah, Port Angeles is good," Angela agreed.

"Mind if I come with you guys?" I looked at Angela.

"Of course! I need you there!" Angela said quickly.

Jessica gave me a disapproving glance. Screw her!

"My truck has horrible gas mileage…and it's only a two-seater…" I continued.

"I'll drive," Angela offered. "Oh, I'm so excited!"

I let out a breath, my fairy-tale world in tact once again.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17 – Port Angeles**

The store we went to didn't interest me. Watching Angela and Jessica go through half the racks of formal dresses didn't interest me either. I was contemplating if I should fall back into the script, or keep my plan to avoid disaster. I had already broken my hand, something that was supposed to happen in the third book, that had to count towards something, right?

After an hour of hell, and I assure you that dress shop's address was in hell, I decided I'd play it my own way and let things fall as they may. "Um…you guys mind if I head over to the computer store I saw coming in?"

"Computer store?" Angela gave me a strange look.

"I might find something for my laptop. I like to tinker," I shrugged. That was true. If anything I could buy a memory chip, you could never have enough memory. "Meet you guys at the restaurant?"

"You know where it is?" Jessica asked, no longer giving me angry glances. I had told her that her boobs looked great in one of the dresses and I was on her 'friend' list again, apparently.

I looked out the window at the street, and pointed one way, "Right?"

"Yeah," Angela smirked. "Um, see you there in an hour?"

Another _hour_ in the dress shop? I didn't think I could spend an hour in a computer store. "Yeah, an hour." I nodded.

The computer store had been a block up and two streets over. I had remembered that. With the early-evening traffic, it took me longer than I had expected to walk over. I stepped in, familiar pieces of hardware welcoming me, making me feel almost like myself…the self I couldn't remember.

I found I could spend an hour in a computer store! I splurged a bit, 2 gigs of ram and a dedicated video card. It had been on sale…

I was surprised at how dark it was when I exited the store, more accurately I was kicked out, they were closing. I had been eyeing a processor that really wasn't a good deal, but I knew would be a fun project when I got home.

Two blocks over, and up a few to get to the restaurant. I knew this…or I thought I knew this. The streetlights were coming on, but it still seemed too dark. I rolled my eyes, groping my pockets for my cell phone, "Great, got lost. Typical Bella." I muttered, a bit of fear closing around my heart. I knew what was supposed to happen when I got lost. I started retracing my steps.

"Hey…you look lost. Did you need directions?" A man asked. My heart went into a frenzy, but he was alone. Early twenties, not much to look at but didn't look like a creep.

I let out a breath, "Um, thanks. Could you point me in the direction of…crap…" What was the name of the restaurant? "I was supposed to meet my friends at some Italian restaurant, it can't be a few blocks from here."

"Oh, yeah! I know the place, I'm heading that way, actually." He said, walking up to me. His face a bit clearer…he was sort of nice to look at. "It's about three blocks this way. I just got off work, I live a few blocks further away."

He fell into my pace as I walked, staying on the sidewalk and keeping my eyes pealed for the group of drunks that were supposed to attempt to assault me. "Really? Where do you work?"

"Barnes and Noble," he answered.

"Really? Huh, didn't see that coming in."

"You haven't been here before?"

"First time," I admitted.

"Are you a tourist?"

"No, not really. I'm from Forks, actually."

"Oh, yeah, I've been through there a few times," he muttered.

I relaxed, this was a nice guy. See, I didn't have all of Bella's bad luck. Although I _did_ seem to have her knack for attracting willing helpers and protectors. I smiled a bit to myself, some of the holes in the story didn't have to be bad.

There was darkness in the middle of the block, where streetlights didn't penetrate. I had kept my pace steady and comfortable, wondering if I should introduce myself to the kind stranger, so we were no longer strangers…when he shoved me against the building we were walking beside.

He showed me a knife, "Your money, all of it!" he growled.

Ah, c'mon!

My jaw dropped, I felt betrayed. More by my own confidence than him…and terrified. His arm was pressing be against the building, his body very close to mine. His other arm held up the knife, more as a threat than anything…I hoped.

"Money!" he hissed again.

"Alright!" I gasped. "I…I can't reach it, my right hand is broken and you are pinning my left."

"Don't move," he snarled, his hand sliding down my arm. "Where is it?"

I grimaced, "Front left pocket."

Headlights turned the corner, falling on us. And he froze, trying to hide the knife, he pressed himself closer to me and I tried to cringe away…he was trying to make us look like a couple, not a victim and a mugger.

The car squealed to a stop, and the next second the weight of the mugger's body was away from me.

I breathed hard, someone was right in front of me, preventing me from seeing…but even just seeing his back I knew, I don't know if I had expected him, but I knew it was him.

A low growl escaped his throat, "Edward!" I breathed. I swallowed hard, "Edward, get in the car."

He turned, his eyes fierce and angry, "Are you alright?"

I saw the man running…he could be the fastest man in the world but he wouldn't outrun Edward.

"I am…yeah," I said. "Please…don't do anything?"

His eyes softened, and he reached out to take my arm. I let him lead me to his car. He buckled me, and got in the driver's seat. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm more angry than scared," I whispered. "No…actually, I am scared. You aren't…aren't going to do anything you'll regret, are you?"

He looked at me, then started his car, not answering.

I sighed, "You'll hate me if you did anything…"

"Hate you!" he barked. "What?"

"If something I did made you do something you didn't want to do," I clarified.

"Bella…"

"Will you tell me something, Edward?"

He was quiet, driving slowly through the town. "Depends."

"Was he going to hurt me?"

"No, just wanted to scare you," he said quietly, and looked at me…not at the road. I turned to look at the road for him. "Want me to scare him back?"

I laughed, a high nervous laugh, "I'm so glad you decided to follow me tonight."

I jumped when my phone rang, and moaned. I dug in my pocket, it was Angela. "Hey," I answered.

"Where are you? Jessica made us order and eat."

I took a breath, "Ang…I, the craziest thing. I met up with Edward and, couldn't stop talking." I looked at him, he was looking at the road now. "I'm sorry, we lost track of the time."

"Really!" she gasped. "No way!"

"Yeah. Um, one second," I put the phone on mute. "Did…are you alright with driving me home tonight?"

"I don't think I'm capable of letting you out of my sight tonight," he replied.

I smirked, "That works." I unmuted the phone and went back to Angela. "Hey, Edward is going to give me a ride home. We're going to grab something to eat and be on our way. Don't wait for me."

"Are you sure?" Angela asked.

"Believe me, I'm positive," I said seriously. "Bye."

"Where did you want to eat?" he asked softly.

"I just said that for her benefit. I need time to relax before I try to eat anything," I said.

"You should eat something," he argued.

"I'm the one who's human, I know what I need better than you do," I argued back.

He glanced at me, still driving idly through the city. "What do you mean by that?"

I clenched my jaw, "Drive out of town…find somewhere to park."

"Why?"

"I told you we'd talk after I went to Port Angeles with Jess and Angela…well, it's after that, now. I just, want to be somewhere quiet."

With this, he sped up a bit and soon the lights of the city were behind us. He turned onto a gravel road. It was so dark that we could see the sparkle of a few stars. Clouds were coming back in and had already covered the moon.

I stepped out of the car, and he followed. Maybe this hadn't been the best idea, I could barely see his face, the parking lights of his car were on for my benefit, but did little to help.

I could tell he was staring at me, anxiously. My heart was racing. "This is going to come out weird," I muttered.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18 – I know what you are**

"Just…say it," he said.

"I can't explain everything, I want you to know that first. I've been waiting for this, but I hadn't expected…this to come so quickly. I sort of wish I had time to practice," I muttered. "I do know what you are, Edward."

"Really?" he said softly, leaning forward a bit so the parking lights showed me more of his face. "Just what am I?"

"You are a vampire."

He leaned back, out of the light completely so he nearly disappeared.

My heart pounded harder. Please don't kill me.

"Are you going to say something?" I asked, my voice hoarse.

"How long have you known?" he asked, his voice quiet with forced calm.

"Before I ever saw you," I whispered.

"How did you know?" he asked, demanding it.

I swallowed hard, "That I can't explain…"

"Bella…"

"Really, I can't!" I said, my voice stronger. "Because I don't understand it…I don't _know_ how…how this is happening." I let out a breath. I looked at the place his voice came from, wishing I could see him. "I know more, too."

"Like?"

"How you can read minds…" I waited for him to say something, but he didn't. "Can you read mine?"

"No," he admitted.

I let out a frustrated breath, "Damn."

"I've tried, but I can't," he said, his own voice frustrated.

I shrugged, "Of course. I…I knew you couldn't, but I was maybe…hopeful. If you could, then…"

"Then what?" He asked, stepping back into the light.

My breath caught in my chest as I saw him, his face smooth and calm, his eyes intense. "You would have known the moment that you saw me…I was trouble."

"You?" he laughed.

I smirked, "You sort of have to admit, I've put a major kink in your perfect life the past few weeks."

He shook his head, "No, I don't think of it like that."

"You should," I told him.

"Why?"

I raised my right hand, "I was trying to avoid it…but it seems I'm horribly accident prone."

He winced when he looked at the brace, "Yeah. When Carlisle told me he had seen you it was all I could do not to hunt Tyler down."

"That's a little extreme for such a stupid accident," I muttered, trying not to smile that he felt so strongly towards me…just as he was supposed to.

"I feel…very protective, of you," he said quietly.

"I'm grateful."

"I don't think you should be," he said.

"Well…if you weren't so protective of me…I'd be dead." I swallowed hard, remember the first time he had caught my scent….the feral rage in his eyes. "Does it bother you, being so close to me?"

"Not as much as it first did," he answered. "I'm fairly certain now that…if, it gets too hard, I can leave."

"I don't like you not being around," I muttered. I saw his expression change, "I know, I know. I'm stupid. Get over it," I laughed.

"You are hiding so much from me," he said finally, staring into my eyes.

I looked away, "One day I think I can trust you to tell you more…maybe even all of it. But…right now…well, let's just say I want to stay out of the psychiatric ward."

A shiver ran up my spine as the wind picked up, "Back in the car," he ordered softly.

I went without complaint, and he turned the heater on high, and the seat warmed beneath me. "Why do you think you are crazy?" he asked, turning on the dome light and turning to look at me. I rather liked this, we were still parked in the car, I was warm and comfortable, and I could see him.

"You have to admit, you are probably thinking the same thing," I said. "Why else would I still be here…knowing what you are?"

He nodded, "Good point," he smirked.

"Why are _you_ here, though?" I asked, my face serious. "I need to know that. Keep in mind, I'm not complaining…I really like it. But…I want to hear you tell me why."

"I already said it, Bella," he said softly, his face serious, too. "I feel very protective of you."

"Why, though?" I asked, pressing him further.

"Your scent is…far too appealing to me to ignore," he said. "Not in a good way, either." I knew this.

"So you are determined not to kill me…or let me die?"

"At first, I was determined to not kill you," he admitted reluctantly. "And then…I found you interesting. Fascinating, even." I rolled my eyes. "Maybe it is only because I can't hear your thoughts. Maybe you are no better than the next person. You drive me crazy with…your _riddles_, and your knowledge."

"Sorry about that," I muttered.

"It's like you aren't from this world, like you can't exist," he said finally.

I froze, looking at him in shock. He noticed the change in my expression, how could he not? His eyes grew wider, confusion and understanding mixing together beautifully on his face.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19 - Explanations**

"You are a vampire…and _I_ can't exist?" I finally laughed.

"I said something right, there," he argued. "Bella…"

I turned my head at the sound of my pseudo-name. "Dammit, Edward…I really wish you wouldn't guess."

"This is infuriating!" he laughed, leaning forward and smiling. "Please, Bella, its pure torture."

"I know things I shouldn't know, okay?" I snapped. He blinked a few times, but didn't say anything. "Alright, I knew that you were a vampire, that you could read minds."

He shrugged, "You're just clever. Maybe just an overactive imagination and you got lucky?"

"Alright…something I would have no way to guess. Your sister, Alice, can see the future."

He leaned back, "How…."

"And Jasper can influence other peoples moods," I continued. "And that you are over a hundred years old."

"Can _you_ read _my_ mind?" he asked.

"I wish!" I groaned. "No…but, I know things that I shouldn't know. I've screwed so much up the past few weeks because I knew too much…"

"Can you see the future, like Alice?" he asked.

"No," I said quickly. "I wish _that_, too. Would take away a lot of my anxiety. But, I do know _certain_ things that are going to happen. Not everything, and some things don't always go as they are supposed to."

"So you do know the future?"

"Not really, no." I muttered.

"How?" he begged to know. "Are you even human?"

"I'm positive about that part," I said.

"Tell me something that is going to happen," he said. "Prove it to me."

"No! I already screw up what I know is going to happen. I can't have you doing it, too!" I panicked.

"Please!" he groaned.

"How about this…tonight I'll figure out something that is going to happen, that almost has to happen. I'll write it down, and keep it with me. After it happens, I'll let you read it?" I asked. "And you can't cheat and look at it before hand!"

"No promises," he smirked.

My jaw dropped. He was _teasing_ me! A slow smile spread across my lips, "You are impossible."

"Tell me one thing that's going to happen," he said. "Maybe it will be something I saw in Alice's visions."

"Fine. You let me see you in the sunlight." I said.

"And?"

"And I hope this part is right…" I laughed, "But you sparkle in the sunlight." He was quiet for a long time. "Is that part right?"

"You knew another vampire before…they told you about us, didn't they?" he asked suspiciously, not angry.

"No," I rolled my eyes. "You've seen my luck, if I had crossed another vampire in my past do you think I would have survived to meet you?"

"You barely survived meeting me!" he said, sounding disgusted.

"My point," I muttered sourly. "I knew that…I was afraid that day…"

"Why did you do it, then?" he asked suddenly.

I looked down at my hands, one clenched into a fist, the other immobilized by the brace. "Because…I also knew I was supposed to meet you. It was meant to happen. I think I trusted it more then…but now I don't trust what is supposed to happen. So many things I've warped." I took a deep breath. "Something that sets off a chain reaction that eventually…leads to…" I let out an angry breath. He was making me say too much, far too much.

"Leads to what?" he breathed.

"Supposed to make you fall for me, fall in love with me, and me you." I muttered.

He was silent for just a few seconds, "Well…it worked for me, because I have fallen in love with you."

I stared back at him, "I loved you before I ever met you…and that's why I did it."

It was a comfortable silence between us as he drove back to Forks. When I glanced at him he was smiling, and mine never disappeared. There was supposed to be a moment when I touched his hand, I missed it. When we drove past the police station it was quiet, no attacks had happened yet that had aroused the attention of my father.

I let my mind wander, some of it was morbid doubting…but mostly it was…ecstasy. I didn't know how to proceed, but I didn't car if we kept driving in this car until it ran out of gas. It felt like my heart could burst from happiness.

"So what did you get at the computer store?" he asked, only a few blocks from my house.

"Oh…um, some ram and a video card for my laptop."

"You know how to install it?"

I laughed, "I could do it in my sleep."

"Hm," he smirked. "I was going to offer you my help, but now I think I'd like to watch you work."

"What are your plans for spring break?" I asked.

He parked his car in front of my house, behind the trees so that it couldn't be seen. "Do you have any plans?"

See you in the sunlight. Have a sleep over. Meet your parents. Watch you play baseball. Run for my life.

"I wonder how many of those plans won't happen," I muttered to myself.

"Tell me, and I'll make sure they do," he said.

I smiled, "No. I'm…really rather curious if I've totally warped what was supposed to happen. I like my plan. I write out the scenes tonight…" I saw his eyes flash in excitement. "If you cheat and read them I'll be very disappointed."

"One thing," he pleaded once again.

"I already gave you your one thing!" I laughed. "That one thing…is the next important thing. Everything else afterwards…well, we'll see." No…that was wrong. This was the important thing, letting him know I knew what he was, and that I didn't care.

"Why is it important?"

I sighed, "Because it is where the lion falls in love with the lamb," I muttered.

"Hm. But it seems we are at that point," he smirked.

"I was just thinking that."

"For the sake of not warping our future any further…you should tell me what to do, what to expect."

"No. First, I have to prove it to you. When you _really_ believe that I'm telling you the truth."


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20 – A Couple**

I ran up to my room, and got a few index cards. I wrote the scenes as I remembered them. Some I knew couldn't happen as they were supposed to, not any more, but perhaps they still would happen in some form. Although it didn't really matter, I had succeeded in my own way, Edward loved me like he was supposed to.

I swallowed hard, Edward loved _Bella_. I wasn't Bella…I was supposed to be, but I was doing a poor job of it. I wasn't sweet and innocent like her, the only trait I had of hers, besides her looks, was her ability to get herself hurt.

I looked sadly at my computer, feeling lost and hopeless again. My name…what was my name? Who was I?

I slept on the index cards, if Edward really wanted them he wouldn't have difficultly, but I was determined to know if he cheated. I felt that if I could prove to him that something was planned, premeditated…that I could tell him everything.

I woke up early. The cards were still securely under me, not out of order. I was satisfied by that, but again knew it meant nothing if he _really_ wanted to read them. I wondered how the real Bella…no, the ficticous Bella, could have put up with a boyfriend that knew everything.

I went through the motions of getting ready for school, taking my time, I had all the time in the world this morning. Charlie left with a mumbled good bye, and a few minutes later I gathered up my coat and walked out after him.

I paused outside my door, and laughed. Edward was there, leaning against his car, "Good morning. You look beautiful."

"You don't look too bad yourself," I smirked.

He walked around and opened the passenger door, "Shall we?"

I sat in his car with no more an answer than my smile, and a moment later he was in the drivers seat. "Shall we what?" I asked him.

"I thought we should keep it casual and go to school," he said, starting the engine. "But I would be up for ditching if you had something better in mind."

"I may take you up on that one day…but not today."

"Does something important happen today?" he asked with a mocking smile.

"We'll see, won't we?" I laughed. "But…what I meant before…are we, you and I, an official 'we' to those around us now? Is that what it means by you driving me to school?"

"Hm…I thought that was official last night?" he asked, his lips a thin line. "Isn't that what those in love do? Become a couple."

"Usually they are a couple first, then love comes later," I muttered. "For us it seems that we had to love each other a long time before we could come together."

"Interesting," he muttered. "Have you had many relationships?"

"No," I said, answering for Bella and not my real self. "Is it true that you haven't?"

He glanced at me, "What makes you think I would, or would not?"

I sighed, "Because I know more than I should, but I am starting to doubt all of it. I find it hard to imagine I'm sitting next to a gorgeous 100 year old virgin."

He laughed, "I'm rather old fashioned."

I smirked, "I know."

He parked his car, and the school parking lot was almost full with students hanging around, waiting for the bell.

I waited patiently in the car as he walked around and opened the door. I took his icy hand as I pulled myself out, and we walked side by side into the building. I couldn't help but smile as all eyes were on us, including Edward's family.

He put his arm around my shoulders, a comfortable weight, and my grin grew. "That was interesting," I snickered as we made it to our lockers, the hallway was relatively empty still. "Will you tell me something?"

"Hm…I don't think I should," he said, his voice teasing. "It seems you know far too much already, I think it's time for you to tell me something."

"I will," I promised, my voice almost breathless as I looked at his face. "But first I want to know…did you cheat?"

"Cheat?" He looked confused.

"Did you look at anything I wrote last night?"

He laughed at me! "You really did that?"

"Yeah, I did. I wanted to…I want to prove to you that, something weird is going on."

"I'm a vampire and you feel like you need to prove to _me_ that something is weird?" he smirked. "But no, I didn't think you were serious. I'm still positive that you knew me…knew someone who knew what I was, what me and my family were. Though I don't really care."

"So you didn't cheat?"

He sighed, "No, in fact I decided I want to be as spontaneous as possible. That's why I picked you up this morning. I decided it, left my family fend for themselves, and came to get you."

I pulled out an index card and handed it to him. He rolled his eyes before taking it, read it in only a few seconds, then looked at me. "Good guess."

All I had written was that he would pick me up for school and that everyone would stare at us.

"Not very conclusive, though," he said, folding it and sticking it in his own pocket. "I've fallen in love with you, Miss Swan, and I am compelled to spend as much time as possible with you."

"Alright," I agreed. "I'll see you at lunch."

He smirked, "What happens at lunch?"

I shrugged, "Hopefully I won't be the main course…"

"That's not funny," he frowned.

"Wasn't supposed to be," I said…my smirk breaking through my serious face. "I don't know…but, I am compelled to spend as much time as possible with you, too…so, I will see you at lunch." I kept smiling until his frown disappeared. "Aw, you don't like the teasing when it's turned around, do you?"

He smiled a little bit, "You tease me more than you know."

My heart pounded in my ears as he got closer to me. A rational part of my brain told me this should be because of fear and danger, but it was pure excitement. I was a fraction of a second away from leaning back towards him so our faces would meet…and then he walked away.

I filled a few more index cards throughout my next few classes. The teachers were piling on the homework for spring break…bastards. I chose scenes from the books and from the movie…and I found one I thought would convince him. And if things kept moving as they were…it was just a day or two away.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21 – The Blacks Visit**

I didn't get much Edward-free time the next few days. I was perfectly alright with that. He watched me tinker on my computer, I watched him lift Charlie's old couch and vacuum under it at the same time. He was becoming—slowly, very slowly—comfortable touching me. Holding my hand, touching my cheek, even letting me hug him, once. He was as cold and hard as ice...but comfortable. Comforting. The time with him made me forget the problem of who I was. It made me happy, and when I told him that he made me happy…he smiled.

"I want to take you to meet my family," he said one afternoon. We were outside wiping the mud from my truck, it had been my idea to go through the puddles...

"Hm, you're positive they are ready for me?" I asked.

He laughed, "I asked you to go to a house full of vampires, and you don't think they are ready for you?"

I nodded, "Alright, I'll try to keep the weirdness down to a minimum."

He leaned in, just slightly, and then froze.

I groaned, the moment gone, "What now?"

"A…a complication," he muttered.

I perked up, here it came! "Oh…"

"How about tomorrow after school?" he asked, already backing away to reach his car.

I dug in my pocket, folding the index cards before I handed them to him, "Wait until you get home!" I said, pushing him away as he took the cards with a confused look. I hadn't given him one since the day he had picked me up from school. He shook his head, and I think even rolled his eyes, and got into his car.

A minute later a truck, newer than mine, rolled up the street, and from the opposite direction Charlie's police cruiser came up. I smiled happily, almost smugly, when Jacob climbed out of the truck, Billy in the passenger's seat. Take this, Edward.

"Hey, guys, come up to watch the game?" I said pleasantly, wiping my hands on my jeans.

"Sure did," Billy said, eyeing me suspiciously. "How have you been, Bella?"

"I'm doing really well," I said. "Thank you for asking, Billy. Charlie didn't tell me you guys were coming, I would have cleaned up the house."

"Jacob here has been asking me to bring him up to see you," Billy nodded to Jacob that was behind him, wheeling his chair.

Jacob rolled his eyes, "Thanks, Dad."

"I didn't think you were into sports, Jake."

He shrugged, "If I didn't have to drive him everywhere, I'd be at home working on my car."

I nodded, "Tough break, huh?"

"Totally." He muttered.

I know I didn't want to watch the game, but I grabbed my laptop and took a seat on the couch next to my dad. I wanted to stay present, I didn't want them talking about me while I was out of earshot. I wasn't positive, but Edward and Billy should have met each other on the road.

"You should come down for the next one," Charlie said.

I looked up, the game must be over.

"I think I will," Billy nodded. "Maybe you and Bella would like to come down instead, though?"

"I think we could arrange that," Charlie grinned. "I haven't seen Harry in ages."

"What do you think of that, Bella?" Billy asked.

"Sounds like a splendid idea, Billy," I said dryly.

He narrowed his eyes at me, "Take care of yourself."

"I will," I answered.

The exchange…the warning, went unnoticed between Charlie and Jacob. Just as it was supposed to. Billy knew what the Cullen's were…to an extent. And he _had_ seen Edward leaving the house. He'd eventually warm up to them, but not until the third book. What a drag.

I swallowed hard…would I still be here throughout the third book? No…no, it wouldn't happen. I've warped too much for those things to happen. And after this Edward _would_ believe me, and I wouldn't be able to keep the secret from him anymore. Because he believed me, then I could tell him. And I wanted to tell him…because I had fallen in love with him…not just the fairy tale, but him. I hadn't been his Bella this past week, the Bella of the movies or the books…I had been as much myself as I could be, and I had been…I had found someone I rather enjoyed being with.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22 - Proof**

"G'night, Dad," I said, gathering up my laptop and heading to the stairs.

I was moping again. It always happened when I spent too much time away from Edward, my mind began to wander…to remember who I was. I watched my feet as I walked into my room, and shut my door. I walked over to set my laptop on the desk, and gasped in surprise.

My laptop slid out of my fingers, and he caught it quickly, "Sorry," he muttered. "I didn't…I didn't mean to startle you."

I put a hand to my heart, "Jesus…how long have you been up here?" I whispered.

"A while," he answered, setting my laptop on my desk gently. He looked into my eyes, "Did you know they were coming?"

I shook my head, "Well…I knew they were, but not when, not that it would be today."

The cards had several different things on them. The writing had worn out on them from being in my pocket so long. One had him asking me to his parents house, the other of Billy coming and glaring at him as he drove away. That Billy knew what he was because he was a descendant of the werewolves of the Quileute tribe, that Edward himself had once met. Intimate details of the treaty that I couldn't help but write.

"It's like I've been saying. There are a lot of things that…are supposed to happen, but the timeline is off. Probably my own fault…and some things just didn't happen."

"Like?"

"You were supposed to show me what you look like in the sun," I said quietly, too aware of Charlie walking up the steps.

"You already know, though," he muttered.

"I'd still like to see it," I shrugged.

He took my hands, "Bella, I believe you, alright? You know something, a lot of things…but you just don't make any sense."

I looked at him sadly, "Do you really believe me?"

"Yes," he said.

I could tell that he didn't.

I looked down, miserable. Could I tell him if he didn't believe me? I doubted it.

"I want to try something," he said softly. "I shouldn't…but I have to. I can't bear to watch you look like this…" I looked up, still moping even though he was right there. "Please, just be still."

My heart began to race as he leaned forward again. So gently I barely felt them, his lips touched mine. I let out a breath, and he pulled away. I held my breath, leaning toward him. More firmly our lips touched again.

I wrapped my arms around his steel neck, determined never to let go, and pressed my face closer to his. My lips moved against his forcefully, his were more reluctant…fighting it.

I let out a gasp as he lifted me and pushed me down onto the bed, his lips moving harder against mine now. I let out another breath, and was just getting into the kiss when he disappeared.

"Stop!" he hissed, suddenly across the room.

"Dammit!" I groaned, falling against my pillow.

"That was a bad idea," he groaned.

I laughed, "You're stronger than you thought," I corrected him.

"No, weaker than I thought," he muttered. "Do you know how _hard_ it is not to…be able to show you how much I love you, I want you? I thought I was ready."

I blinked, "Huh…"

"What?"

"That's off," I muttered. I pulled myself off of the bed and dug out an index card from my jacket pocket. I glanced at it to make sure it was the right one. "It's not quite accurate…"

"You kiss me, you ask me to be still and I'm going to try for you. If I'm not able to, you'll stop yourself, claiming that you were stronger than you thought. As a side note, if I don't survive our first kiss, it was amazing…" he read it out loud, and looked at me angrily. "If you don't survive?"

I fell back on my bed, "I felt like my heart was going to explode," I laughed.

He was next to me on the bed in an instant, "Talk to me, Bella."

"What do you want me to talk about?" I asked.

"Tell me everything," he said, his eyes smoldering.

"You won't believe me," I said, turning away from his eyes.

He put a hand to my face, forcing me to stare into his eyes, "I believe you. Talk to me."

I could tell in his eyes…he did believe me.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23 - Truth**

"You weren't too far off before…about me being from a different world," I started. "Although….I live in the real world. This is a fantasy."

"Fantasy?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"Right…because vampire novels are found in the non-fiction section of Barnes and Noble?" I retaliated. "Going to let me talk?"

"Sorry, I'll be good," he promised, looking excited.

"I…I have to go back a bit. But…jeez, this is screwed up." I shook my head. "Does 'Twilight' mean anything to you?"

"I thought you wanted to talk?"

"Don't make me smother you with a pillow," I threatened.

"Twilight, it's the end of the day, sunset." He shrugged.

"Okay, I guess I didn't expect much else," I said softly. "In my world, Twilight is a book, and recently it has been recreated into a movie. It's _very_ popular, number one selling book and number one movie at the box office." He was listening, but he wasn't interested in this. "The story revolves around a teenage girl who moves to a small town, where there is a coven of vampires, and she falls in love with one of them."

That sparked his interest, "Alright…sounds familiar, I'll admit."

"Then this will sound even more familiar," I muttered. "At first the vampire has to force himself not to kill her, then he can't help himself from protecting her. From a van that threatens to kill her, or being assaulted while she visits a nearby city."

"A bit too familiar," he shrugged.

"And the main characters are us," I said. "Do you get what I'm saying?"

He smirked, "You are telling me that we are characters in a book?"

I shook my head, "_You_ are…me…" I sighed. "I'm just a fan of the series. I watched the movie too many times to count, I've read the books, too. I loved them. The real world is…boring, Edward. And depressing, too. I really fell in love with the fantasy of Twilight and the books, I fell in love with Edward just like Bella did in the novels and movies, all the characters, really. One night I passed out at my computer desk, trying to illegally download the movie…and I woke up like this."

"What do you mean, like this?" he asked.

"I don't look like this," I said. "I'm not Bella. Charlie isn't my Dad. Renee isn't my mom. I am not Bella Swan. She isn't real…"

"You are…"

"I'm here, yeah, I'm playing her _part_! Not very well, I'll admit."

"Well enough," he whispered, his cool breath falling on my face and making my head swim.

"You are distracting me," I breathed.

"Sorry," he frowned.

"I've been tormenting myself these past few weeks with the knowledge I had. Mostly this seems to be following the movie, not so much the novel. I've been trying to follow the script at times…well, except when I'm with you."

"Why?"

I swallowed, "You…it's easy to be myself without…being depressed."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't remember who I am, Edward. I don't know my name. I know I'm not Bella…but for the life of me, I don't know my name! First or last! I can't find myself anywhere. I remember my life, I have memories…"

"I'm…not sure I know what you mean."

"Alright. Um. I'm from Minnesota, born and raised. I lived in a town about this size, and moved to Minneapolis about…six years ago, when I went to college."

"College?"

"I'm twenty-four," I said, looking guilty. "I'm a computer programmer for a company I hate, I live in a tiny apartment. I drive a Cobalt that's falling apart on me." Words spilled out of my mouth and I watched Edward's reaction, his face was smooth as he listened but nothing showed me that he was weirded out by my confessions. "But…our worlds aren't completely separate. That company I work for really exists. My friend, Becca, does, too. I tried to call her parents to get her phone number, but…I freaked out when they asked me who I was and hung up."

I took a slow breath, realizing my voice was getting too loud, and I wasn't sure if Charlie was asleep or not. Edward was just staring at me, unblinking. I wanted to reach out and touch him, but was afraid.

As if he knew, he reached out and touched my face, his expression changing a little but not enough to tell me what he was thinking. "What happens to us?" he asked quietly.

"What is supposed to happen…we hit rough patches but eventually find a happy ending. But…I don't know what is going to happen to _me_. What I've done to change the story has already screwed some things up. Like you weren't supposed to spend the night with me until after I met your parents."

He smirked, "You knew I was going to spend the night with you?"

I returned the smile, "I even know you've been watching me sleep."

"Hm. I wondered why you suddenly started wearing pajamas…"

I blushed fast and furiously, "Oh…thought I'd play nice."

He laughed quietly but shook the bed all the same, "What do you think is going to happen?"

"Well, if I can't escape the story…more of this, I guess."

"Is that so bad?"

"It's not bad at all," I admitted. "But…I'm always going to wonder about, my real world. My other life. I think I fit into this so easily because I really did love the story so much, it was easy to take Bella's place at first. It's harder now, because I've had time to realize it's not a dream, and that I have some measure of control."

"Do you have other theories?"

"Either I get to the point where the movie Twilight, or the last book ends, and I return. Go back to how my life was, maybe even eventually believe this was a dream."

"Would that be so bad?" he asked softly, avoiding my eyes.

"It would be hard," I admitted. "But…like you've noticed, I have a hard time staying out of trouble. It's almost a running joke in the series…" Edward frowned. "I didn't know if I could…trust you to stop the van. To come to my rescue in Port Angeles. And I was careful in Port Angeles. I know now that I can trust you for those things that are supposed to happen, that are part of the books and movie. But…"

"What?" he asked urgently.

"Like with my hand, that wasn't supposed to happen. That was just me. What if _I_ have done something that ends up getting me killed that you aren't there to stop or save me from?"

"I will always be there," he promised immediately.

"Yeah…no you won't," I said. "I feel real pain here, and it terrifies me. I think if I die here…maybe I could go back to my world, but I'm more convinced that I would just really die."

He looked horrified at this thought, and he pulled me close to his chest. His cool body hard and secure, safe in a wrong way. "I have an easy solution. I just won't let you out of my sight."

"Oh, well, that works," I muttered, my face in his chest so my words were mumbled. I sighed deeply, snuggling into his body. "Do you believe me?"

"It makes sense," he said quietly. "It goes with my first thought of you, at least. You really aren't of this world, Bella."

"Will you tell me some things?" he asked quietly.

I was just drifting off to sleep in his arms, and I thought if I kept quiet he would assume I was asleep, but I wanted to keep talking. "Depends."

"How does the visit to my parents house go?"

I laughed, "Good. Carlisle and I have already met, he'll probably be happy that he doesn't have to treat me as a patient. Esme will be happy for you. Emmett seems happy-go-lucky. Jasper is tense. Alice is friendly. Rosalie has a stick up her ass."

He laughed with me now, "You know them so well, but you've never met them."

"I was very obsessed with the series," I admitted. "Are you going to tell them…about, what I told you?"

"No," he said. "Frankly I don't think they'd believe me."

"I can't believe you believe me."

"I can't believe it, either. But, it's going to be interesting," he said.

"Why's that?"

"Well, it'll be our new project."

"What will?"

"Finding out who you are, of course."


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24 - Revelation**

"Bella…" a voice whispered in my ear. Cold lips and cold breath touched my neck.

I opened my eyes, "Hey…" I moaned, wiping my mouth to make sure I wasn't drooling.

"How did you sleep?" Edward asked quietly, kissing my jaw.

"Like a rock," I admitted. "What time is it?"

"About six in the morning."

I turned to look at his face, "What?"

"Sorry…I couldn't wait to talk to you again."

"Do you have a snooze button, by chance?"

He grinned, "I do, actually. Shall I show you how to use it?"

He leaned over and kissed my mouth, slowly and gently. When he backed away I let out the breath I had held, "How long does that get me?" I asked.

"At least two minutes," he smirked.

I rolled over, "I'll take it."

But I couldn't have fallen back asleep after that rush. Charlie had left for the day already, Edward assured me of that. I took my time in the bathroom, and went back to my room to curl up on my bed next to him.

"How was your night?" I asked him.

"I think I came up with a few good suggestions. But I'm going to need to know more about you if I'm going to find you."

"I told you, I've disappeared."

"I don't think you have, really. Like you said, you're friend Becca is still there, or at least her parents. Your world and mine are connected somehow. We just have to find out how this happened."

"Can't we just say magic? That's the best thing I've come up with," I said.

"Sure, we could say that. Either way…I have to know who you are, now."

"Why?"

He brushed his fingers across my face, "Because, if you do simply disappear one day…I plan to find you again."

I pulled myself away from him, and opened my laptop. "Come here," I said softly.

He stood behind me as I opened the internet, the awfully slow internet. I typed in the 'Kristen Stewart', and found a site with her photo. "Does she look familiar?"

"She…looks like you, a bit…" he muttered.

"This is the actress that portrays Bella in the movie." I said. I went back to the search, and this time I searched Robert Pattinson. I couldn't find many photos of him except from the Harry Potter movie. "Okay, I admit, he isn't much to look at right here…but this is actually you."

"What about the person who wrote the books?" he asked. "Who is that?"

"Stephanie Meyer," I recited, instead of telling people I was reading Twilight I told them I was reading a Stephanie Meyer novel…less embarrassing, I didn't want my colleagues at work to know I was reading teen romance novels.

I searched her next…and found a website for her. Not really her website, it was a short profile of her on 'Little, Brown and Company' website, a book publisher. She was a new author and her debut novel, Twilight, would be coming out October of this year.

"Well that's not right, all four books were released," I said. "The series is finished."

"When did the first book come out in your world?" he asked.

I shrugged, "Two or three years ago, I think."

"So in 2002, maybe?"

"No, probably 2006."

"Bella, what is the date?" Edward asked.

"March 19th, I think, why?"

"The year, Bella."

"It's 2009," I laughed. "It was…January 3rd the last night I remembered, so just turned 2009."

"I think we've stumbled upon something big, here," Edward said, turning me in my chair. "Two things, actually. You aren't from a different world, Bella…you seem to be from a different _time_. And you can't seem to read a calendar properly."

"What?"

"Bella, it's 2005."

"Nuh uh." I shook my head. "I would have noticed…"

He turned me back to my computer, and double clicked in the bottom right-hand corner to bring up the calendar…

"Holy shit, its 2005!"


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25 – Meeting the Parents**

It was lucky that Edward had woken me up early…I needed time to calm down before we went to school. He didn't leave me, not even to change his clothes and get his car. I drove him to school in my truck, earning more stares as we walked in.

"The weekend is almost here, we'll devote all our time then…but let's just…" Edward started.

"Just what?" I hissed. "Pretend I didn't just stumble across the secret to time travel?"

"There is still your appearance, and mine…how we resemble those actors. I don't think that you've traveled in time…exactly, at least. Something is weird, yes…but, if there is one thing I've learned when dealing with _weird_ is that it is important to keep up the charade while dealing with it."

"I can understand that…" I muttered. "But…jeez. That would explain why I couldn't find myself. Four years ago I was still in college, I was completely anti-social. I didn't even have a Myspace page."

"Hm," he frowned.

"You know we elect an African American president in 2008?" I smirked.

"Really?" he grinned. "Tell me more."

"Hm…you know, I spend a lot of my free time playing video games and messing around on computers. I'm usually not aware of the world around me." I frowned. "That's probably why I get so easily pulled into fantasy novels."

"Probably why you can stand loving me," he grinned, hugging me a bit closer.

I hugged him even tighter, "Exactly. But I'm not really the one you are supposed to fall in love with."

He stiffened a bit, and if possible felt even colder, "I don't believe that. I think this happened for a reason, Bella…whoever you are. And I will find out."

I released my arms from around his torso, but he still held on, "You have to let me go. You aren't in my English class."

He frowned, "Maybe we should have ditched today. I can think of a hundred more interesting things to do today than be here, and none of them include researching your true origins."

I blushed, "Oh my…well, let's hope today goes by quickly. Remember, we still have to get through meeting your family."

He grinned, "And yours, don't forget."

I scowled at him, "You looked at my cards."

"Only a few. Enjoy English," he touched my face briefly, and let me go.

It was difficult to be angry with him…no, that was easy, but it was hard to _stay_ angry at him. Though I had to admit I was impressed that he had waited so long to sneak a look at my cards.

The first half of school dragged by. I was unaware most of the time when people tried to get my attention, and incoherent when I tried to respond to them. I had a lot on my mind, too much, really. I was almost drowning in my thoughts, finding it hard to breath.

At lunch I saw Edward, and I could breath again, easily, freely. I was glad to be with him…but I wasn't happy.

"What are you thinking?" he asked gently as I poked at the food on my tray.

"Everything and nothing," I replied. "I'm having a hard time focusing."

He placed a cold finger under my chin to force me to look up at him, "Focus," he said, sounding like a demand.

Looking into his eyes I had no choice but to focus on him, my other thoughts falling away. "I'm thinking of what it will be like when this is over."

"Hm," he frowned. "I can't stop thinking about that, either. But don't worry about that yet. You said we still have at least a few weeks…let's worry about that this weekend, when we have time to work out a plan."

"I can't…"

"Try, for me?" he pleaded. "I'm all over this, Bella. Trust me."

I sighed, "I do trust you…"

"And you are crazy for doing so…"

"But I don't trust that…that there is any hope." I finished.

"There is always hope."

After school Edward drove my truck to his house. I was trying to keep my mind on the task at hand, but it was hard. The house looked different than I remembered it in the movie, not as many windows, it looked more traditional but it was still monstrous.

He sighed, "Are you hungry?"

I smirked as the smell of cooking hit me, "I could probably eat."

Falling into character was what I needed to focus on, and it helped lighten my mood as Edward led me into the kitchen. "Bella!" Esme grinned, walking slowly up to me. "You are earlier than Alice predicted. We're making Italian for you."

"It smells wonderful," I said. "You didn't have to…"

"Don't be silly. You've given us an excuse to use the kitchen for the first time," Carlisle said, his own grin wide.

Emmett was smiling too, the knife a blur as he chopped lettuce. Rosalie didn't look at me, her own hands working quickly.

"Your home is just gorgeous. Did you do all the decorating, Esme?"

"No, actually, Rosalie would be our decorator," Esme beamed, looking at her adopted daughter.

"It is just fantastic, Rosalie," I said, earning a glance from her that didn't look like a glare.

Alice walked in, Jasper not far from her. Alice walked swiftly to me, and put her arms around me in a gentle hug, "It's so nice to finally get to meet you, Bella."

I hugged her back, "You too, Alice. I've heard wonderful things about you."

She glanced at Edward, and back at me, "I certainly hope so."

She backed away, taking her place next to Jasper. He looked tense, he nodded once, "Nice to meet you."

"Hello, Jasper," I said. I glanced at Edward, he was staring at Jasper, studying him for any sign of weakness, I assumed.

"Edward, why don't you take Bella on a tour of the house while we finish preparing dinner?" Esme said.

Edward tightened his arm around my waist, "Sure, Mom."

Some things I had expected to be there were, such as Carlisle's antique cross. There was no wall of graduation caps, though. There were a lot of paintings, some photos. I smirked when we walked past the piano, that was real. I had a few index cards in my pocket that I was going to have to hand to him after this, maybe I'd even let him read the ones that were wrong.

He led me into his room. There was a massive stereo, and a collection of vinyl, tapes, and CDs piled into shelves that covered a wall. "Wow," I muttered, running a finger over them. I smirked, and pressed the play button on his stereo.

"What?" he asked, looking amused. "Did you get something wrong, or something right?"

"A bit of both today," I admitted, listening to the unfamiliar tune on the stereo. "What's this?"

"Some Swedish Techno that I borrowed from Alice…I decided to hide Debussy just to annoy you," he smirked.

I tried to look angry as I stepped up to him, but the closer I got the more my scowl turned into a grin until I was wrapped up in his arms and begging for breath as he kissed me.

The kiss was interrupted by my cell phone. Edward's lips froze on mine while I tried to continue until I backed away with a frown and dug through my pockets. "It's Dad," I said, trying to catch my breath. "Hello?" I answered.

"Hey, Bells. I came home early today…where are you? School was over almost an hour ago?" He sounded upset.

"Sorry, Dad…I have a Biology project. I didn't think it would take so long."

"Hm," he said into the phone. "Alright. When will you be done?"

"Actually just finished, so I'll be on my way home in a few minutes," I said, looking at Edward sadly. I had been expecting at least another hour with him.

"Sounds good. I'm actually going to head up to the diner for supper, why don't you come along?"

"You know what, Dad, we had some snacks, so I'm not so hungry," I lied, I was very hungry and Alice was standing in Edward's doorway beckoning me with a plate of food and a grin.

"Oh, alright, then. I'll bring you home something for later. Too, bad, though. This woman Stephanie and I got to talking earlier today, she had been a friend of Renee's, hasn't seen you since you were a baby. Afraid I don't remember her, but she wanted to see you all grown up."

"Stephanie?" I asked.

"Um…Meyer or Miller, is her last name. She is just visiting some relatives, won't be staying much longer. Eats at the diner most nights."

"Stephanie Meyer?" I said the full name, and I froze.

"Oh well, if I see her I'll find out when she's leaving. Maybe another day," Charlie said. "Take care, Bella."

I let out a squeak of goodbye, but the line was already dead.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26 - Cameo**

"Why are you leaving?" Alice asked with a frown.

"I have to go see Stephanie!" I gasped, grabbing Edward's hands. "We have to go!"

He didn't argue and led the way out of his house. I muttered apologies to his family for leaving so quickly, and promised to come back whenever they would have me.

"Do you want Charlie to see you with me?" Edward asked quietly as I drove the truck back into town.

"Um…maybe he shouldn't right now."

Edward slid into the seat until his head was under the window. "The author is here?"

"She has a one second cameo in the movie. In the diner," I said. "It's so quick, it's just filler."

"Why do we want to see her?"

"Maybe she knows something! Something…about me. I don't know."

"Bella, what are you going to do?" Edward asked, his voice anxious.

I gripped the steering wheel tight, "I don't know…talk to her, I guess."

"Why do you need to talk to her, when I can read her mind?"

"She created you! What makes you think you can read her mind?" I hissed.

I glanced at Edward, and froze. He looked furious, "I am not just a figment of someone's imagination, neither are you."

He reached up and grabbed the steering wheel before I could drive off the road, but I slowed and pulled over. I was shaking, trembling from head to toe. "Not knowing…its killing me. I'm sure I could live like this the rest of my life if I had to, if I couldn't go back, sometimes I don't want to go back, Edward!" I said, tears starting to fall. "But I don't know what is going to happen!"

He tried to hush me as I broke down in my truck, tried to comfort my crying, and I felt like an idiot. Here the most perfect being, the perfect man, was holding me, and all I could do was cry over a depressing life that I once had. But it wasn't just that. I wasn't lying when I told him I could live Bella's life without regret. I would miss some aspects of my real life, no doubt…but when I had a chance at _this_ life? With him? I just needed a guarantee on how things would work out. If I was going to return to my real life in a few weeks…I had to distance myself from him immediately, or make the best of what time we had. If I was never to leave this world, I had a lot more to tell him.

"Bella, this is what I think we should do. Go to the diner, meet your dad and tell him you changed your mind. Meet Stephanie, and don't _question_ her. I'll be outside, listening to her mind. Can you do that?"

He placed his cold hands on my red eyes, soothing them immediately. "I don't know," I muttered.

"Bella…"

"Okay…okay, I can do that…but, if there is something in there that…explains this?"

"Let me look for it, in a way she'll never know is happening. If she is just another…_character_…then we'll save you some embarrassment."

I sniffed loudly, "Do I look like I was crying?"

He removed his cold hands from my eyes, wiping away the last of the wetness. "No, are you going to start again?"

"Maybe," I said hoarsely.

He kissed me quickly, "I'll be right there."

"Hey, Dad!" I put on my best smile for Charlie. "Changed my mind."

"Ah, Bella! This is great!" Charlie grinned.

"Bella! Charlie ordered your usual to go, I'll bring it out now, though, if that's alright?" The waitress said.

"Yeah, thanks!" I nodded, wringing my hands together.

"How's that biology project?" Charlie asked.

"It's great," I answered, glancing at the redhead sitting across the diner and then back at the table. "My partner is Edward Cullen, he's a genius. I barely had to do any of the work."

"Oh?" Charlie said, he was looking at the redhead, too. "That's Stephanie, over there. Looks like she's busy, we'll catch her after we eat."

The waitress set my food in front of me…I had to eat first? Great, I was going to throw up on her.

The waitress walked over to Stephanie when I was halfway done, filling her coffee cup. Stephanie looked up from her laptop to thank the waitress, and saw me at Charlie's table. I looked away slowly, as if I was looking over all of the customers and not just her, and went back to my food.

"So what is your project on?" Charlie asked.

"Huh?" I looked back at him.

"Your Biology project, what's it on?"

"Oh…" I started…wondering what Biology project would require me to spend the afternoon at someone's house to complete.

The door opened, and I looked back to give myself more time. My eyes grew wide when Edward stepped in, and walked over. He had a confident smile on his face, "Hey, Bella. Sorry to interrupt…but my computer seems to have failed and we've lost our report. We're going to have to start all over."

"What?" I asked, confused.

Edward looked at Charlie, "Chief Swan, hello. I'm Edward Cullen. Um, Bella and I have this major report due for Biology, we spent most of our day working on it and…I'm afraid it's all gone." Edward looked back to me, his eyes full of silent pleading. "If we're going to finish it tonight, we're going to need to use your computer…soon."

"Oh, okay," I said, standing up.

"My printer is still good, I think. We can take your laptop over to my house."

"What time will you be home, Bella?" Charlie asked, looking at Edward.

"I'll call if it gets too late, Dad," I answered.

"Well, its Friday night, why don't you kids wait until tomorrow?"

"Dad, Edward has better things to do than be stuck with me on a Saturday," I mumbled. "Bye."

Edward was nearly carrying me to my truck to speed us up, ignoring me as I begged him to explain his actions. "Go, drive, now."

"What the hell, Edward?" I hissed. "You spent all that time calming _me_ down and now you are freaking me out all over again!"

"I'm fairly freaked out myself, Bella. And I'm a vampire, do you want to know how hard that is? Drive, I'll explain, just drive."

"I had to get you out of there before Stephanie came to talk to you," he said once we were on the long stretch of road leading to his house.

"Why?"

"Because….she knows that you didn't belong. She could tell that…you weren't like the others." A shiver ran up my spine.

"Tell me everything," I said.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27 - Theory**

"She's working on the second novel right now," Edward said quietly. "It was infuriating me…because you weren't with me."

"What part was she writing?" I asked curiously.

"Bella was considering allowing Jacob, a werewolf, have what was left of her heart," Edward rolled his eyes. "Ridiculous. Like I wouldn't have been there to stop that."

I sighed.

"What?"

"In the second book Edward leaves Bella to protect her, to keep her safe from him and his family. Don't worry, in the end she saves him."

"Hm," Edward thought about that. "Anyways, while she was doing this she was…seeing other things. It didn't make sense, it was like she was reading someone else's thoughts, though she really wasn't. And then she saw you. It made sense, she thought about it, wondering about her own gift and what yours was.

"Stephanie seems to be able to know things she can't possibly know…a combination of her knowledge and imagination, is what she believes it is. She really _is_ writing about my family. And the werewolves, they exist, too. But she doesn't know we really exist. She came here to finish writing, using the town for inspiration…and she's found too many similarities to her books, she's become curious.

"And she saw _you_…and knew you were the cause of it."

"Cause of what?"

"I don't know, Bella. I think I'll understand it more once things are finished and it's _safe_ to ask questions, but right now…I'm tempted to lock you in my basement for our own safety."

"Our safety?" I laughed. "What could possibly hurt you?"

"Besides losing you?" Edward took a long breath as we pulled up to his house. "Have you ever read The Time Machine?"

"Saw the movie," I frowned.

"Good enough. The Time Machine. The Butterfly Effect would probably be a better example, and maybe fresher in your mind."

"What about them?"

"What happens when people from the future step into the past, Bella?" Edward leaned towards me. "What if something you tell Stephanie prevents her from releasing her novels, or changes them in a way that prevents you from coming back to the past? Or what if something we tell Stephanie leads her to the truth of what we are?"

"She has it pretty right on already, doesn't she?"

"That's one thing already…but what if she doesn't believe she imagined it anymore? There are too many uncertainties. I can't…bear the thought of tampering with something that may prevent this from happening." Edward shook his head. "She's leaving town today…it's been more of a distraction to her than a muse, so she's going back home."

"Do you know what's going on?"

"I have a theory," Edward muttered. "Stephanie was able to come up with this marvelous idea for a story. She formed Bella, not you, obviously, but the character. Then she needed her vampire love, and she…she found something in my own tragic being, even though she never knew me, never saw me or my family, to base that around. Even knew of the nearby werewolves, the reason why we had avoided this area for so long. And you…"

"Me." I said impatiently.

"I wonder if you're imagination literally ran away with you," Edward muttered. "What we've done recently is not custom for us. We rarely all live together, and we don't go to human high schools, either. We took our new names, and settled in…"

"New names?"

Edward frowned, "Um…Edward isn't my real name. I thought you knew that."

"No! I knew Cullen wasn't your real name…"

"I was born Robert Gustafson," Edward said quickly. "We all change our names every five years or so, it makes things easier. I haven't told anyone but my family my real name before."

"Robert?" I laughed. "That's the first name of the actor who plays you."

He smiled, "I noticed."

"What do you want me to call you?"

"Whatever you like," he said quickly.

"Which do you prefer?"

"Robbie was what I preferred…"

I smiled, "Robbie, then."

He grinned as I said his name.

"So…I really am just imagining you?"

"No!" he said quickly, his grin gone. "No, I'm real, I swear by it! But…I think that, you are able to bend reality enough to bring yourself here, when you did so, you bent not just me and my family, but the whole town, to those novels."

"One problem with that," I said softly. "I did this four years from now."

"It's a work in progress," Robbie shrugged.

"In the books there is a vampire that could tell what people are able to do, if they have any special gifts."

He shrugged, "No one I know. Could be completely made-up."

"Figures," I sighed.

I couldn't decide if we had taken a step forward, or a step back. There was some sort of magic at work here, and I had a gnawing in my stomach that told me the magic would be undone by the final scene. I didn't want it to, though.

If I really had been the one who did this…like I had some sort of power, could I do it again? I didn't know how I did it before. I felt so selfish, wanting so much. Wanting knowledge of who I was and how I got here. Wanting this fantasy to be real. I took Edward's hand to anchor me. Why wasn't this easier? In the novels…Bella only wanted Edward. However there was some confusion with Jacob, but that had still been an easy decision for her. Be with Edward, and anything else that happened didn't matter.

There was no doubt in my mind that I loved Robbie, _my_ Edward. I loved him enough to be attacked by a vicious vampire and keep the story on track, to help keep it in motion to prevent major disaster so I could stay with him.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28 – Getting to know you**

"Tell me about your life," Robbie asked quietly. It was after midnight, I was half laying on him in my small bed trying to think, but he kept me talking, keeping my mind everywhere but where it should be.

"What do you want to know?"

"What were you like in high school?"

"Not like this," I muttered. "I had three friends, and hated pretty much everyone else. It was…a small school, and I had moved there in junior high. All the kids pretty much grew up with one another, it was hard to make friends. Well, it's always been hard for me." I laughed a bit. "I was the punk girl."

"No!" he laughed.

"Yeah. Nose and eyebrow pierced, by myself. Pink hair, dog collars. I did everything to stand out and alienate myself."

"Hm, I'd like to see that."

A thought flew into my head, and I jumped out of bed and turned on my laptop. He was behind me in a flash. "What?"

"My high school website…they have yearbook photos." I muttered. Not too excited to have Robbie see what I really looked like, but…my name! "I'm not sure if I'm in there…but, I have to check."

Stupid dial up, I was ready to pull my hair out when I pulled up my classes senior photos.

Robbie took a sharp breath when a photo young girl with pink hair showed up among the other generic-looking students that had been my graduating class. I had never been stunningly pretty, I had accepted that. It had taken a few years of college for me to decide that I had my good qualities and to build up self esteem but that was threatening to come crashing down with his opinion if he chose to share it.

Below the photo was a name, and the moment I read it I knew, I remembered. "Elizabeth Marie Wright," I muttered. "My mom called me Beth. My friends called me Lizzy."

"Which did you prefer?"

"Beth," I said softly. "It was only after my mom had passed away that I had preferred Beth over Lizzy or Liz."

"Beth," he said, and it sent a shock through my system. "You are gorgeous."

I laughed, "That was six years ago." Twenty or thirty pounds ago, too. Ugh…

"There is this mischievous look about you," he mused.

"I dyed my hair without telling my mom. She had wanted pretty photos of me, not odd ones. Weird thing was, she loved them when she got them."

"Do you miss her?"

"A lot. She was great, she let me express myself in weird ways. She made comments sometimes…but was always supportive. Here I was trying to be this rebel, and she gave me nothing to rebel against. She was perfect."

"What happened?"

"She died, cancer. I barely survived her death."

He pulled me away from the laptop and back to the bed, "Tell me about it?"

"It's a long story…but have you ever heard of bad things coming in threes?"

"Sure."

"Well. First, my roommate moved out of our apartment, moved in with her boyfriend. That wasn't horrible, but it was hard to make rent. I was just a few months from graduating, working full time…I was stretched really thin. And then my boyfriend, Roy, dumped me."

"Boyfriend?"

"We had dated off and on through college," I muttered. "He's married and has two kids now. Anyways, I was barely scraping by when I graduated and the banks I had pulled loans from started calling, wanting their money now that I was out of school. I couldn't find a job. And then…Mom dies." I took a long breath, it didn't hurt like it once had, talking about it. "Not only was I an emotional wreck, I felt like I had been abandoned by my best friend, rejected by my ex-boyfriend…and I had lost my mother forever, but I was in thousands of dollars of debt, about to be evicted, and unemployed. My step dad couldn't help me out, though he wanted to, after the funeral expenses he wasn't well off, either."

"That's horrible."

"But…then good things come in threes too, you know?"

"Really?"

"Sort of. I had gotten my final eviction notice, was packing up my stuff and planning to move back to my step-dad's house, when one of the guys who ran the property company called me. He told me he had heard about my troubles, and wanted to make me a deal. They had just acquired a new apartment building, the apartments were smaller and less expensive, he wanted to arrange payments to pay up the rent that was due, and was willing to waive the security deposit as long as I left my current apartment in good condition."

"That's very charitable," Robbie muttered.

"I had to admit I was pretty suspicious. The rent was real cheap, and the apartments are actually decent. Perfect for a bachelorette right out of college, I guess. I asked him what the catch was, and he said there was none. He let me know that he had fallen on hard times when he had been my age and wished someone had been there to help him out. If I was good for it, he knew I'd be a good tenant like I had been before."

"Alright, so you got a new place to live," Robbie said after a long pause from me.

"Well, I'm trying to remember the rest of what we had talked about. I was on the phone with him for at least an hour. Somehow we were talking about jobs in the area, how I couldn't find any that didn't require previous experience in the field…which I didn't have straight out of college, and how he had a friend at a Computer Inc. call center who was looking for an IT manager, and that they had a benefit that would help pay college loans. It wasn't anything like what I wanted, but I needed a paycheck…he gave me an address to mail in a resume. I told him that I didn't think I should accept the new apartment until I knew I would have a steady paycheck coming. He told me his friend was pretty desperate for anyone, and to expect a call shortly for an interview."

"And he got you the job?"

"Yeah," I muttered. "I hated it, though. Being helped out like that. It felt like charity and pity…but I needed it. I know that, I don't know what I would have done if he hadn't helped me out. So…I still live in that apartment, and I still have that job. My college loans are almost paid off. Once I'm done I can look for a more interesting job."

"What was the third good thing?" Robbie asked.

I sighed, "At that job I met a guy. Until about six months ago we had been together."

"What was his name?"

"Darrel," I said. "He was a good guy, but we just sort of fizzled out. But he really helped me through after my mom died, him and my friends."

There was a long time of silence, his arms were around me, his fingers occasionally stroking my arm, but he didn't speak.

"What are you thinking?" I asked.

"I'm wondering what had attracted you to Roy and Darrel," he said.

"Common interests and friends, loneliness, too, maybe. I don't know, when I think about them now…I'm not sure. How they could ever compare to…to you." I mumbled.

"How could they have ever let you go?"

I pressed myself closer to him, "I'm glad they did."


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29 - Baseball**

I was torn on whether or not to tell Robbie how Twilight must end. If we disrupted it, would I be trapped here happily ever after in this fictional place? If I was, would everything around us survive? I knew what would happen if I went along with the script, it would be painful for me but I would live through it. Almost positive I would, at least. What bothered me most was that I didn't know what would happen if I deviated from it, if it would be better or worse. When Robbie invited me to spend the afternoon with his family playing baseball, I agreed.

I still didn't know what would happen at the end of it. I didn't like leaving him in the dark, but if he knew what was going to happen he would try to prevent it, I knew that much. He couldn't know what was going to happen beforehand…he would plan around it. I had disrupted too many things…and I knew that throughout the last scenes of my fairy tale world I would continue to adjust as I saw fit to save myself as much pain and misery as I could.

My mind had been made up already, though.

Dad was cleaning his shotgun, I could save myself time and just ask him to shoot me…at least then I would have this dread clenching my stomach. "I have a date with Edward Cullen."

Charlie looked up at me with wide eyes, then smiled, "Thought you said Edward had better things to do than hang out with you on a Saturday?"

I returned his smile, "Well, turns out we have a lot more in common than we thought. Um…he's right outside."

"Waiting until the last minute to tell me?"

"Wasn't sure how you'd react," I shrugged.

"Well don't make the boy stand outside in the rain, Bella!" Charlie laughed.

Hm, he wasn't as concerned as he had been in the movie or the novel. I took Robbie's hand and led him in.

"Chief Swan, good to see you again," he smiled, shaking Dad's hand. "Bella won't be out too late, she's just going to play baseball with my family."

"Baseball, huh?" Charlie looked at me.

"I'll be watching, for the most part," I smirked.

"Well, you two have fun."

"Beth," Robbie whispered quietly as we walked out.

"Robbie," I whispered back, smiling because he said my name.

"Give me a hint and let me know who wins the game?" he grinned.

I pulled myself into the jeep, "I don't think it said…what I remember though it was a very action-packed game, fun to watch."

"Hm, so this was in the movie, then?"

I frowned, realizing that he got the information out of me that I shouldn't have given. "Every good movie needs a good action sequence," I smirked.

"You are right about that. I hope we live up to those expectations."

I wondered if he could tell I was anxious…well, I knew he could. I hoped he thought I was just excited about the game…not almost trembling in fear.

I wondered, as we got out of the jeep to join his family, if my fear was necessary. In the movie the James's coven was preceded by supposed animal attacks, but those hadn't happened. Waylon was still alive. Maybe something I had done had disrupted them and forced them not to come to Forks, or perhaps go around or delay their visit for another time. Or perhaps they just did not exist here. Friendly vampires only?

I enjoyed the banter among his family for a few minutes before they got the game started. My heart raced as I watched them, full-vampire. Their speed and strength, unhidden to the little human that watched.

I watched Alice pitch the ball towards Carlisle, and the ball fell short several feet. I laughed, wondering if the ball had slipped from her hand. I was too far away, for my own safety, to notice her stiffen…but I was close enough to Esme to notice her posture straighten.

"Stop!" Alice called out a moment later.

I sighed. Strangely enough, I was relieved. I could fall into the script, having something to follow, now. I knew what was happening again, I was on top of the world. But at the same time, I was sad, too. This meant that I would be leaving Robbie, even if only for a day or two.

I avoided his eyes when he appeared at my side, I put my arms around him and played the stupid little human. "Game over?"

"We have to go, someone is coming…" he said, pulling me towards the jeep.

"It's too late…they're here," Alice whispered.

"What? Who?" I asked, feeling confident that I sounded more confused than concerned.

I met Robbie's eyes, and they were accusing me, questioning me…looking furious and afraid. "Beth?"

I couldn't tell him anything…but I wouldn't lie to him.

"Everything will be just fine, I promise." I said quietly.

He hissed a curse, and pressed me against his body with an iron grip that I couldn't have escaped if I wanted to. "Don't say anything…don't move…"

"I know," I whispered.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30 - James**

I watched as a vampire suddenly appeared at the edge of the clearing. Too far for me to know he was a vampire…but, well, I already knew. I wondered where the other two were, Laurent and Victoria.

"Edward, Bella, stay here," Carlisle said. He walked forward, Jasper and Emmett following him.

James walked slowly, non-threatening, towards them, getting closer. He was shirtless, wearing only raggy jeans. His hair was long, leaves stuck in it from running.

"Good evening. May we help you?" Carlisle asked pleasantly.

"He's confused, he doesn't know why he's here," Robbie whispered in my ear. He took a sharp intake of breath, "Beth…"

I gripped his shirt, my jaw locked as fear began to take control again.

"I'm looking for something…" James said, his voice low but carried across the open field.

"Well, I'm afraid this territory is ours. We have a permanent residence nearby…" Carlisle began to explain.

"I've been running this way for a while…something is here. Something…" his head was turned our way. "Who are they?"

"This is my family," Carlisle said simply.

"I hear…a heartbeat…" James took a step in my direction.

Edward released me and took a step forward, I went to follow him but another set of iron arms wrapped around me and held me there, "No!" Esme hissed, pulling me back.

"I think you should leave," Carlisle said harshly, Jasper and Emmett both crouching to attack.

"You're right…I should," James said, taking a step back, then another, and then ran back into the woods.

The next moment I was in Robbie's arms, and he was running with me back to the jeep.

"Explain, NOW!" he growled at me.

His anger, his fury, startled me. My jaw dropped as I looked at him, but he kept his fierce gaze on me.

I let out a breath I had been holding. "What's going to happen? What's happening? What is James going to do?"

"Dammit, Beth! This…you knew about this?" he shouted at me, making me wince and my stomach clench with guilt.

I gripped the seat as the jeep accelerated into motion. "It has to happen. Tell me…everything."

"James is a hunter. About the same time you showed up here, he had a compulsion to head this way. That there was something good to find here…and he found you. He's starting the hunt tonight." Robbie took a long breath. "Tell me how to protect you, how does this end? Where is _our_ happy ending, Beth, if you don't tell me?"

"First you have to take me home…"

"He'll be waiting for you there! You don't think he'll track your scent there?"

"But you will be there, he won't try anything. We have to go there, I'm going to tell my father that I'm leaving Forks and going back to my mom's house. Lead the tracker away from him. Then we'll go back to your house. Alice and Jasper are going to run me south to Phoenix. While you and the others lead James away with false trails."

"Then what?" he asked after I went silent.

I shrugged, "The book is written from Bella's point of view, I don't know what you do."

"Beth…" he growled.

"Was he thinking of anyone? In the movie and novel he had two companions. I wonder why he's alone here." I muttered.

"Better for us that he is. He won't have a chance," Robbie said, sounding confident. "I should have torn him apart in the field…"

"This has to happen," I said again. "I'm sorry…I've just…I've screwed so much up already. If it didn't happen this way he probably would have crossed my scent and came at me when I was alone, or only you with me."

"You should have told me," he said softly, taking my hand.

I laughed, "I would have had 24/7 vampire guard on me if I had."

"You already do, Beth," he laughed.

"Everything will be alright," I said softly, looking at him and feeling confident with what I said.

He parked in front of my house, "Anything else I need to know?"

"You take me to prom," I said softly.

He smiled, and brushed my cheek with his hand, trusting in my knowledge that we would live through this brush with danger.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31 – Running Away**

I needed a moment to prepare myself to face Charlie. I hoped I wouldn't start laugh hysterically in the middle of it…I did that when I was nervous.

"Just leave me alone, Edward!" I screamed over my shoulder, throwing myself through the door.

Dad got off the couch, and followed me up the stairs. "Bella?"

"I'm out of here!" I screamed at him.

"What happened? Did...did you guys break up?"

I let out a frustrated growl as I locked myself in my room. Edward was packing a suitcase for me, and I went to help.

"Bella?" Dad called from behind the door.

"No, Dad! It…it's not like that!" I shouted back.

"Well…help me out, kid, what happened?"

"Don't you get it?" I shouted. "I can't…I can't set anymore roots down here! I'm going to be stuck here like you! I don't want that!"

That was a little early.

"I'm going to Phoenix, I have to go home…I have to go back. I can't stay here!" I grabbed the suitcase, and Robbie took another one and jumped out the window. I ran out my bedroom door, and Charlie was looking at me sadly.

"Bells…I just got you back," he said sadly.

"I'm sorry, Dad. I can't handle it." I said finally. "I'll…I'll call."

Robbie was slouched down in the passenger side of my truck when I got in. "Alice is behind us in the jeep. James heard us…you were right."

"Of course I was," I said, not feeling smug like I should have been.

"Your father will be safe. Now we can focus on you."

"You don't trust me?"

"You aren't telling me everything, and I can't figure out a way to get you to tell me what."

"James is killed," I said. "I thought it was a given."

"But do you live? Or do you become one of us?"

"Why are you asking me that?"

"Answer me."

"I live. In the novels Edward refuses to turn Bella into a vampire."

"Well, obviously there are some errors in the novels and movie, Beth," he rolled his eyes. "I've been waiting the past week for you to ask me about the transformation, anything at all about it…wondering if it was something that you wanted or not."

"What?" I gasped, turning to look at him until he grabbed the wheel to keep us on the road.

"So that's a no," he muttered.

I didn't worry about looking at the road, he was doing that for me. That was an excellent question…knowing everything I did, would I want what he could give me? Immortality, become one of the mythical beings?

"It's not a no, I'm just surprised," I muttered, aware I was in the passenger seat instead of the drivers seat. I had been so shocked that he had moved me without me noticing. "I didn't expect that."

"I rather enjoy catching you off guard," he grinned.

"Why would you want to…make me a vampire?"

"Obvious reason…I love you, and I want to be with you forever. I'd be happy to continue as we are, but you aren't permanent, Beth. I don't think one lifetime would be enough."

"Huh."

"It's something I would never ask you to do for me…but, I was hoping you'd want the same thing," he said softly.

We were at his parents house, and he was carrying me inside before I could answer. He gave them the plan we had worked out, and still before I could answer Alice and Jasper were taking me away from him.

No goodbye, no goodbye kiss. Perhaps it was for the better. I still didn't have an answer by the time Jasper pulled the car out of the garage and was driving us away.

I slept uneasily in the back of the car. I was only slightly aware the few times we stopped for gas, and the sun was high when we made it to Phoenix.

"Bella, we need you to go in and pay for the room," Alice said.

"I…I don't have any…" she handed me a wad of cash. "There aren't enough shadows for us to slip in easily to the front desk. Get the room and the key, we'll meet you by the west door where the shadows reach the parking lot. Alright?"

"Yeah, got it," I said, wiping the sleep from my eyes.

I got the hotel room, a suite on the west side of the building, and let Jasper and Alice in one of the side doors. "How are you feeling?"

"A little worried," I muttered. "Alice…what do you see?"

She frowned, "It's hard for me…"

"I know it's…none of it's for sure. I just need to know that everyone is going to make it out alive."

"We're going to do our best to make sure that happens," she said quietly.

Any fatigue I had left vanished, "What do you mean?"

"Bella…you are in serious danger. James is…clever. Last night in the field, when he made up his mind, I saw you dead. Later, I saw you as a vampire. Now…I just see us sitting in this hotel room."

I fell into the couch, my arms wrapped around my stomach.

"Oh…you are hungry, aren't you? I'll order something, what do you want to eat?"

"No, I feel sick," I muttered.

"We won't let anything happen to you, Bella," Jasper said quietly, and I felt myself beginning to relax. I wanted to ask him to stop, but it felt too good. My muscles unknotting, my stomach easing, my heartbeat slowly. "You mean a lot to him, we won't let anything happen. I promise."

"Edward asked me to keep watching you. I promise, if anything changes, I'll know," Alice said.

"Great…" I muttered, Jasper's influence was too strong for me to feel any anxiety by now. I rested back on the couch, and drifted off.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32 - Threats**

Edward called when they lost James, and shortly after Alice gasped. "He's on his way…here."

"Do we have time to move her?" Jasper asked.

She nodded, "Yeah. But where should we go?"

Alice looked at me, as if I had the answer. "Phoenix is a huge city. Aren't we alright if we stay here?"

"No…he's coming to this hotel," Alice said. "I see him, coming in through this door." She frowned. "But Jasper and I aren't here…but you are."

"We aren't leaving her alone," Jasper said.

Alice's eyes were looking accusingly at me now. "Bella….?"

I shook my head, "No…that's not right. Why would you guys leave me alone?" I asked, my voice sounding panicked…Alice couldn't see that I was planning to ditch them, which I hadn't even been able to plan to do yet! They'd screw it up!

Her eyes softened and she put a cold arm around me, "I promise, we aren't."

I took a breath, "How much time do we have?"

"Until nightfall, at least. Edward, Emmett, and Carlisle aren't far behind him…maybe an hour?"

"I'll get us checked out," Jasper said, getting up and heading out the door.

"Bella, why don't we get the bags in the car?" Alice said.

"Actually I think I'd like to get in a shower before we go. We have a few hours, right? I'll be fine."

Alice frowned, I suspected she was scanning the future. I really wanted a shower, though, I was still wearing the clothes from last night and I felt rather disgusting. So she saw nothing important. "Alright, we'll just be a few minutes."

Alice and Jasper were back by the time I was dressed. I felt a lot better. "Bella…we parked the car in the sun." Alice said, looking at me apologetically. She held out the car keys, "We'll meet you by the east door, okay?"

I laughed, "I never thought I'd have to help a vampire out with anything."

"I'm sorry…"

"No! Don't be. It feels…feels good to be doing something useful. Plus that is a _nice_ car to drive."

Alice grinned, "Would you like one?"

"I'll meet you guys downstairs." I said, twirling the keys once…they flew off my finger. I frowned at my own stupidity, fetched the keys, and continued down the stairs.

I should have known this wouldn't have been so simple, that with James flying solo that things wouldn't go as they had. Victoria wasn't there to track down where I had lived before. I had been in the car most of the time, there wasn't any scent.

But how had he known which hotel, and hotel room, I would be in? How had he tracked _that_?

He was supposed to meet me at a ballet studio, taunt me a bit, then try to kill me. Stupid fictional characters, they never did what they were supposed to do.

I stepped into the hot Arizona sun, and just stood there a few moments. It felt amazing. I could handle the rain…but this, this was marvelous. How the heat hit my skin and settled into my bones. Who cared that a sadistic vampire was looking for me? He couldn't come out into the sun, just as Alice and Jasper couldn't. There were people coming and going from the parking lot, random generic faces. James couldn't follow my scent in the car, and he couldn't expose himself in the sun. Maybe this wasn't going according to plan, but I didn't feel like I was in danger.

I was at the car door when my phone rang. I expected it to be Alice's phone, telling me to hurry up with the car. For an immortal she was impatient.

But it wasn't her number…it was the number of Renee's house in Phoenix, the house that was empty…the house that James was supposed to be in when he came to Phoenix to find me.

Ok…maybe I _was_ in danger.

I looked at the phone, wondering if I should answer it or not. I knew his trick, it wouldn't work. But if I didn't end this how it should be finished…how long could he hunt me? How long would it keep going on? Where I jump at noises and shadows, cling to Edward for protection? Could I live like that? Should I be deviating from this part of the script to save me some trauma?

"Hello?" I answered.

"Are you alone?" A soft voice said.

"Very," I said, my voice barely there.

"Good," he breathed. "Those others are very protective of you. Especially the one called Edward. Why?"

"Why does it matter to you?"

"I'm very curious about you," he said in the same soft voice. "How one human can rally the support of a large coven….and draw me from thousands of miles away."

Where was Renee's voice calling out for help on the other line? Where was his threats of killing someone I loved if I didn't go to him?

"I don't know." I said. "Why are you drawn to me?"

"That's a very good question…one I will find the answer to. I want you to come meet me, alone. Will you do that?"

I laughed, "Why should I?"

"Because if you don't, I'll never stop hunting you. I'll pick off the coven that protects you one by one, until you are all alone."

Oh…there was the threat.

"There are too many of them, you know."

"I can make more if I need to," he threatened. "Forks has a lot of unsuspecting victims and potential recruits. Such as Chief Swan."

"Where do you want me to meet you?" I asked without hesitation. Not Charlie, anyone but Charlie…

"Home is where the heart is, isn't it?" he said, I could hear the smile in his soft voice. "I'll see you soon."

I started the car. Just like James, Alice and Jasper couldn't follow me into the sunlight, they couldn't run after me as I tore through the parking lot, right past them as they stood in the shade. I didn't look to see their faces…Alice would know what I was doing. I just didn't know if this would end better or worse than it had in the novel.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33 – James's Motive**

The sun was just setting as I reached Renee's house. I was surprised that I had been able to remember where it was, on the outskirts of the town, the backyard stretching into endless desert.

I stepped into the house, it was just as it had been when I left not so long ago. Not even dust had settled.

The backdoor was open, and I walked towards it. Before I reached it, though, something grabbed me from behind and then everything was a blur. As a reflex I threw my arms around the neck of the vampire carrying me, and buried my face against his bare, cold chest.

And then we stopped. He released me and I fell in the sand, breathless. I couldn't see anything in any direction, no city lights, no houses…just desert. "Where are we?" I asked.

He knelt down to look me in the eyes, "Who are you?"

"Bella Swan," I said, my voice cracking.

"What are you?"

"Human."

He looked confused, backed away, and walked around a little bit. "Why do I want you so badly?"

"I think you are more interested in the challenge…that I'm protected…was protected," I said quietly.

He looked at me, smiling a bit. "You know me well. I love a challenge. But what I am doing is nearly suicide. I'm not stupid enough to go against a coven this large…but I am compelled. Something about you compels me…"

"Maybe you should talk to a therapist?" I suggested.

He laughed. Roared with laughter. "The same thing that compels me…must compel Edward. And the others…what is it?" I looked away, and his hand was gently on my face to force me to look at him. "What is it? Are you his pet?"

"No! They…they don't drink human blood."

James frowned, "You haven't let them taste you?"

"No!" I barked…if that had happened I'd be dead. "They haven't asked and I haven't offered."

"Are you going to become like them?"

"I don't….I don't know," I muttered.

He smiled, and he sat across from me on the sand. "I see it now. Peculiar…interesting. You eyes are full of secrets and knowledge, fear, too. I assure you, you don't have to fear me."

"You're going to try and kill me!" I hissed.

He laughed again, so loud it made me wince. "Yes…I suppose I am. But afterwards, we'll be together. I've been alone far too long. I see now what has compelled me. I have found a companion in you, such a strange girl. I never knew I was searching for you until I found you."

"What?" I blinked at him.

His hand stroked my face again, "Fear not, the pain won't last and then we'll be together…"

"NO!"

Only I could screw up a movie and novel I knew by heart to be so twisted that by the end the villain falls in love with the heroine and decides to turn her into a vampire. Don't get me wrong, I have saved photos of James shirtless on my computer and happily gazed at him…but I loved the _good_ vampires. Not the murderous sadistic ones.

"You don't want this," he whispered. "You are a pet of vampires, yet you don't want to be one?"

"I'm not like you."

"What do you mean?"

"You're a murderer…you kill people."

He shrugged, "So?"

"I'm human! I take that personally!"

He grinned, "You are too much, Bella Swan. I anticipated a willing companion. You already know I enjoy the challenge. We can draw this out as long as you wish…"

I shoved him away, and he let me.

I struggled to get to my feet, the sand sliding under me making it more difficult than it should. And I ran. I don't know what direction, to town or farther from it. I just ran.

He let me run for about half a minute before he grabbed my shirt, ripping it, and threw me down. If it had been cement, my arm would have shattered.

He was over me, his hands keeping me pinned down. I tried to break free, his grinning face was too close to mine. "NO!" I screamed at him. "Let me go! I don't want this! I don't want you!"

And I didn't. I wasn't going to be able to stop him, though. I could have been the strongest human on the planet and I didn't have a chance. I kicked him, getting my foot under his chest and trying to throw him off of me. He grabbed my ankle roughly and slammed my leg down….it snapped.

I screamed in pain, screamed so loud my voice cracked.

"It won't hurt for long, in a few years it will seem like a perfect tradeoff," he whispered in my ear, I could hear him perfectly over my screams. "We'll take care of each other, you'll forever be mine, and I forever yours."

I got my hand to his face, trying to cover his mouth or push him away from my neck, I don't know which. I felt his cold lips on my hand, opening, and then closing on it.

I screamed again.

"Mmm. You do taste nice," he said, his voice more anxious. "I promise this will be worth it…I won't take too much…"


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34 – To Change?**

I wondered briefly if I had passed out from the pain and just didn't wake up until it was over. But soon the pain in my leg and hand came into focus, and I was whimpering in pain again. James wasn't on me…was he going to let me stay like this?

Then I heard growls…animals? Had the coyotes come to see if I would make a good dinner? Did James have to fight them off of me? That was sweet of him, but I'd rather be a coyote dinner than his…_companion_ for eternity.

One of the growls was high, girly, even. Though it sounded terrifyingly feral, the most terrifying thing I'd ever heard before in my life.

The sun was down on the horizon but enough lingered for me to see Alice jumping onto James. She was tearing into him with her teeth, and it appeared Jasper was helping.

A cold hand turned my face so I couldn't see, and I rolled my eyes up to see the most beautiful face in the world. It was blurry, for some reason. "Robbie?"

"Beth," he breathed, his hand gently moving over my face.

"My hand…" I groaned, holding it close to me. "It burns! It's burning!"

"I know," he said in a hard voice.

"Don't let it burn me…don't let him change me…" I begged and pleaded, my face tensing and forcing my eyes closed as I felt the burn creeping up my arm.

His cold hand was no relief to the burning. I was screaming again, I couldn't force my eyes open to see what was happening…was he doing as I asked? Did he know what to do? Was Carlisle here to stop him if he couldn't?

"Her blood is clean," Carlisle's soft voice said, sounding far away.

"Is she alright?"

"We need to get an X-ray for her leg, but…she will be. You did well, Robbie," Carlisle said. That was the first time I had heard him call Edward by his real name. "But why didn't you let the change happen? I thought you wanted it to?"

I felt a cold hand on my forehead, and I tried to gain the strength to talk but found I had none left, only strength to listen.

"She doesn't want it. Besides…she's my prom date."


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35 - Rescued**

I woke up in an uncomfortable bed, the pain in my leg waking me up. I tried to move…discovering that was a _very_ bad idea.

Someone sighed beside me, and cold hands rested on my shoulders to keep me where I was. "Relax, everything is okay."

I smiled through the pain, I reached up for one of his hands and opened my eyes. His face was in better focus now, "Hey, you."

He returned my smile, "Sleeping beauty has awakened."

I grinned, "Awakened by the princes kiss, by chance?"

He grinned to match me, "I've been trying that the past several hours. I was just about to give up." He let his grin fade slowly. "Are you in pain?"

"A lot," I admitted. "Where am I?"

"Phoenix. Charlie is here. Renee is on her way."

"How long have I been here?"

"About twelve hours," he said with a shrug. "Before Charlie comes to check on you…if he asks…"

"I fell down stairs?"

He laughed, "Yeah, you did."

I sighed, "Works for me."

His hand squeezed mine a bit, "Since we have about ten minutes before he decides to come check on you…do you mind telling me what you were doing. What happened?"

"Nothing that was supposed to," I muttered, looking away.

In a flash he turned my head back to look at him, and the look in his eyes chilled me to the core. He looked…_hurt_. "I'm far too selfish to let you go, Beth. When Alice called me and told me you were going to see him, I understood everything."

"Glad one of us does," I muttered.

"I thought we were supposed to have a happy ending?"

"It's coming," I promised.

He sighed again. "James was asking you to be his, begging you. You went to him knowing this…"

"NO!" I said quickly, wincing as the movement I made forced not only my leg but most of my body to throb. "No! I…honestly, James was just supposed to try and kill me."

He narrowed his eyes, "Why? He loved you?"

"Not in the book," I muttered. "In the book he had a companion. I don't know what screwed this up to…for this to happen. He…he said he'd go back and turn Dad into a vampire to help hunt you and your family down. Not just Dad, people from Forks."

He frowned then.

"Which is what his girlfriend does in the third book," I muttered. "Not…not with people from Forks. But she creates a few dozen new vampires to take out your family."

"Good to know," he muttered. "So…you don't love him?"

"I love you," I muttered, squeezing his hand but unable to look into his eyes. "God help me if I have to leave or stay, but I love you. I don't know what to do about it, either."

"We will never be apart, Beth," he promised, kissing my forehead.

I met his eyes then, "I heard Carlisle…he said, that you wanted to transform me."

"I do," he admitted. "You don't know how much easier it would be for me if I did. But I…I respect your choice."

"I would…for you."

"I don't want you to do it for me," he said quickly. "I want you to do it if it is what you want. You've been trying to follow a book that…sure, it had it's moments of truth, but really isn't about _us_. If it's because of that damned book…I don't want to hear about it. Ever again."

"Neither do I," I groaned, and laughed. "Give me some time, Robbie."

He smiled, "I have a lot of that."

I couldn't return his smile. Part because the pain was getting to be too much, and he could see that in my face, so he pressed the 'call nurse' button on my bed. But…mostly because, I didn't feel like I had that much time.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36 - Preparing**

Alice was an angel the next few weeks. After she had bitten my head off, not literally, for ditching her and Jasper at the hotel, that is.

"Alice…you don't get it. I _had_ to! He was going to come back here and mess with my friends and family!" I tried to plead with her.

"I saw that, and we would have stopped him!" She hissed. "But what I saw _first_ was you running off, becoming a vampire, and being with _him_! Do you know how much that would have tormented Edward? DO YOU?"

"I…"

"What was worse, though! Was that I thought that was what you wanted! To be with James! THAT would have killed Edward! Argh…humans."

But…after that half hour fit, she had graciously wrapped my cast, a ten pound plaster cast, in a garbage bag, and held it above the water while I bathed. She was kind enough to keep her eyes closed and head turned and hummed quietly to herself while I awkwardly cleaned up. This was my nightly torture. I hadn't been this embarrassed since my mom had to do almost the same thing when I broke my arm in junior high. At least Alice kept her eyes closed. Plus she provided me with several skirts and dresses, since it was impossible to get jeans to fit over the bulky cast. She enjoyed that too much.

Bella in the movie had a walking brace, not a cast. She didn't have to use crutches, either. Bitch.

"Are you sure you want to go?" Robbie asked.

Alice was holding a dress against my back, and then disappeared, apparently that one wasn't good enough either.

"I never got to go to my schools prom," I said. "It's not because of you-know-what." He had forbidden the use of the word 'movie' and 'novel' in our conversations.

"Are you lying to me?"

"You know I'm not coordinated enough to stand on one leg and lie at the same time," I joked. "No, really. At least make an appearance, taste the spiked punch."

"Let everyone see you in this gorgeous dress?" Alice said, holding a black one up. "This is perfect. Perfect size, perfect fit…perfect."

I smiled. It wasn't blue, like I had assumed. In both the…movie and book, I glanced at Robbie guiltily as I thought it, the prom dress had been blue. "I like it," I said with a smile. It's something I would have picked out for myself.

Alice helped dress me, it was difficult slipping into the dress. My cast was nearly the size of the waist, but past that it fit perfectly. When we were done, my date was in his tux and he carried me down to his car. Not the Volvo, but a sleek sporty car.

"Tell me one more time," he said as we drove away from his house.

"I am a twenty-four year old computer programmer who is upset that she never went to prom herself. And now that I'm seventeen again and have someone to go with, someone I actually _want_ to go with…I want to go. If only for a picture and a chance to say, I got to go."

He took a breath, and nodded. Finally satisfied. "I think we'd be more comfortable at home, though, don't you?"

"Definitely," I agreed. "But Charlie has to check out the dance to make sure the teenagers don't get too rowdy, so if we aren't there he's going to suspect something…and may come looking for you. And he does carry a loaded gun."

He laughed, "Right. Got it. After he checks it out, though?"

"I'm not sure if we can get home soon enough," I laughed. "If it wasn't for Alice I don't think he'd be letting me spend the night at your house."

He took my hand, "I rather like it when Alice has you over for her slumber parties. I never thought they could be so much fun."

He parked his car, and helped me out. I left my purse in the front seat, muttering that it was a hassle to carry. All it had in it was a tube of lipstick, a comb, and a piece of paper…a letter. If my night didn't end here, well, I would burn it. But if it did, I wondered if it would ever be read. I felt horrible for lying to Robbie. He knew that in the movie and novel this was the last scene, and it had taken me the past three weeks to convince him that this was unimportant, fluff…just a show of a happy ending. Which it was, nothing important happened, just a teenage girl and her hundred year old vampire boyfriend having a nice night out. If this was supposed to be my end…I wouldn't leave him with nothing. That letter held my heart and soul…pathetic, really. I was terrified that he would have to read it, hoping I would return to his car and burn it later…but I just didn't know.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37 - Prom**

Edward held me tight against him as we posed for the photo. When we were around others I mentally prepared myself to consider him Edward again…though I rather liked calling him by his real name. Though I knew he did the same for me, he couldn't call me Beth around my friends without causing questions.

"What do you think?" He asked.

"This is so cheesy," I laughed, taking my crutches back from Mike who had graciously offered to hold them so they weren't in the photo. "Thanks."

"My pleasure," he replied, smiling at me, and giving Edward a brief glare.

"He still has a crush on me?" I turned to Edward who was frowning.

"Yeah. He's lucky I already ate."

"You wouldn't want him." I assured him. "I bet he tastes bad."

Edward laughed, he was mostly carrying me with one arm, making my crutches a prop instead of a necessity. Though I was apparently dangerous with them, I nearly tripped three people on our way to a table to sit.

"Would you like me to get you some spiked punch?" he asked with a grin.

"I was just joking…"

"I'm not. It seems Tyler decided to start the party early."

I laughed, "If there is anything untainted, I'd love some." The urge to drink hadn't been a thought of mine for weeks.

Edward frowned, looking around the gym. "I'm not sure I should leave."

"Why?"

He looked at me, "Someone is here to see you. About me."

I looked around, too, and my jaw dropped when I saw Jacob leaning against the wall. Then I remembered the only important thing that happened at prom…Jacob's warning. I tried to hide my recognition…but it was too late.

"Dammit, Bella," he hissed.

I grabbed his hand, "Ignore him. He won't come over here if you are here. I'm sorry, I forgot!"

"What does this lead to, then? Well?"

"Nothing," I said angrily. "Are you going to sit here and accuse me, or are you going to get me some damn punch?"

He scowled, and then turned away.

I watched him sadly…I didn't want him to go. "Edward!" I called after him, but he didn't turn.

"Bella!" Jacob said a moment later. "Hey, I was hoping to see you tonight."

"Hey, Jake," I said, looking up at him. "What brings you here?"

He shrugged, and looked over to where Edward was, he was talking quietly to Emmett around the punch bowl. "You two get in a fight?"

Jake looked upset by that, and I shrugged. "I guess so."

"You look…real pretty."

"Thanks, Jake." I laughed, blushing and looking at the ground.

"Well, if you had asked me to the prom, I know I wouldn't be hanging out with someone else. I'd be out there dancing with you."

I stuck my cast out a bit, "I'm crippled."

He shrugged, "I have two left feet. Want to give it a try?"

He held his hand out, and I took it without realizing it. He pulled me up, let me lean against him as I hopped to the dance floor. Then I gently set my cast down on the gym floor, and put my hands on his shoulders, his hands were warm against my waist…in a safe and friendly way.

"So, why are you really here, Jake?" I asked.

He sighed, "Well, my dad paid me twenty bucks to come see you." He smirked then, "If I had known I'd get to do this, I would have come for free."

"I'm sort of taken, you know?"

He shrugged, "I know. That's why this is…awkward, to say. Um… my dad told me to…ask you to break up with your boyfriend."

I nodded, "Yeah, I know he doesn't like the Cullen's, Jake. And you know how ridiculous he is for thinking so, too."

"I know," he muttered. "But he wanted me to tell you that he'd be watching. He's just worried about you. Charlie is his best friend, and you are Charlie's little girl. That's what it boils down to."

I nodded, "I know. Let Billy know that I can take care of myself, though."

"Well, you handled that fight a minute ago pretty well," Jake smirked. His smile faded, "Does he have a temper?"

I rolled my eyes, "No. Believe me, Edward is amazing. He's…more than I ever thought to want for. More than I deserve." I sighed. "It'd kill me to be without him."

I glanced over Jake's shoulder, or I tried to, it was impossibly high, though. So I glanced around his arm, and saw Edward slowly and gracefully walking through dancers towards us. His face was calm and smooth, gentle once again. He met my eyes, and I felt butterflies in my stomach.

Yeah…it would kill me to be without him.

"Jake, mind if I cut in?" Edward said gently.

Jake didn't answer before my arms reached out to Edward. "I'll talk to you later, Jake. We can hang out sometime this summer." I said, smiling as I planned ahead. Yeah, we would hang out this summer. I don't think I could avoid it, maybe I'd go on one of Charlie's fishing trips a weekend Robbie went hunting. Prove to them all was well.

"I'll see you, Bella," Jake muttered, letting his hands linger just a bit at my waist before sulking away.

I let my face rest on Robbie's chest as we swayed to the music, his face was buried in my hair. "How can someone so adorable be so incredibly evil at the same time?" he muttered.

"Evil? Me?" I nearly laughed.

"Yes, evil. You lie to me, tell me you want to be here for yourself. Then you dance with another boy who loves you, too. And cruelly crush his hopes by devoting your love to me."

I sighed, "Really, I forgot he was supposed to come here. I'm surprised he did. It wasn't that important, really."

We danced towards the door, well, he danced and carried me, and then we were outside. He gathered me up in his arms and carried me from here.

"My crutches," I muttered.

"Alice will get them," he promised, taking a seat on a picnic bench in the empty school yard.

I smiled happily, "You have it all planned out. Perfect, I can just sit here and enjoy the view," I looked into his eyes.

He brushed the hair from my face, tucking a few stray strands behind my ear, "Have you decided, then?"

My eyes widened, "About…the change?"

His face was serious, unreadable besides that, "Yes."

I took a long breath, "Yeah, I have."

"And?"

I shrugged, "Honestly, there isn't much to decide, Robbie. If you demanded an answer right now, I'd say go for it. Right here, I don't care. But…I want to wait a while…"

He groaned, "If it's that stupid…"

"No," I said quickly. "And yes, I don't know. In the book Bella has to wait until after she graduates…for the sake of keeping everything quiet. And, that doesn't sound like a bad thing to me. Graduate, use college as a cover story…and just disappear. Forgotten by most of these people."

"I don't want to wait," he said quietly. "I feel…anxious, tonight. I don't think I can let you go, if I release you from my arms you may never return…"

My heart beat harder, not faster, just harder. "I'm afraid this is our last night," I said, wrapping my arms around his neck and holding myself tightly there. "Maybe I'm stupid. Maybe I shouldn't have made you take me here."

"It's been building up," he muttered. "Alice hasn't been able to see past tonight. Those few days that I refused to take you to the prom…I really wasn't going to come here with you. I would have locked you away for tonight if I thought it would make a difference."

I swallowed hard, "No…it…it can't be over."

He moved my face so he could kiss me. "I'm just not going to let you go. I've decided that much. If I have to carry you like this for eternity to make sure this never falls away, I will."

I looked up at him, my vision blurry as if tears were forming, but I didn't feel their sting yet. "Robbie…"

"Beth…" he whispered, leaning in to kiss me again.

I held onto him even tighter, my hands grabbing fistfuls of his tuxedo jacket. My head felt like it was swimming, the world was spinning, as if I was drunk. Like I had three shots too many. His hands were still there, but I could barely feel them. "My…purse…" I breathed, my lips brushing his as I talked.

"No…Beth…don't go…"


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38 – Back to Reality**

"ROBBIE!" I gasped, my body jerking in its chair. I groaned in pain as my stiff neck and back protested.

I looked around….holding onto that last moment even as it became a memory. I swayed in my chair, my foot, no longer encased in a cast, knocked over the empty bottle of rum.

My room, my office as I jokingly called it, looked unfamiliar and alien to me after all those weeks. I looked at my hands, my pretty French manicure there and perfect. My buzz from drinking…that was definitely there, too.

I blinked at my computer screen. The time said it was just shortly after 2 am, it had been only an hour ago that Becca had left. The download was completed.

I ran to the bathroom, looking in the mirror to see my too strange and too familiar face. My eyes were bright, they didn't look dazed or drunk. My cheeks were flushed, not common for me. My leg wasn't broken. My hand wasn't scared.

I sank down onto the floor, leaning against the bathroom wall. My head was clearing, I still felt some sort of buzz but I didn't think it was from the alcohol. I ran over my memories…they were clearer than a dream could ever be, wonderful and vivid in some spots.

I put my fingertips to my lips, and I felt a sharp pain in my chest. I didn't know if it had been real or not…but, the feeling of loss and heartache was real. The tears started then, hot and painful.

I didn't bother to look at a clock when I finally pulled myself out of my bathroom. I wasn't even aware of what I was doing as I pulled on a sweatshirt and socks and shoes. Opening my door and locking it behind me, walking down the steps and gripping the railing for support as my limbs still were wobbly from the affect of the alcohol, but my mind was clear.

No, my mind wasn't clear. My mind was a mess. I was a mess.

I stepped outside…and into a blizzard. I put a hand up to shield my eyes from the blowing snow. Snow?

_January in Minnesota_. _It's not April in Forks._

"Beth!?" A voice called out.

I could barely see three feet in front of me with the snow, and the wind howled and distorted the voice. But…I knew that voice! "Robbie!?" I called out.

"Beth!" The voice called again, and the pain in my chest swelled into happiness! "Beth! What are you doing out here?"

My face fell. "Darrel? What…what are you doing here?"

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled us back into the warm apartment building. I began shiver, it had to be in the negatives outside. The tears that had lingered on my face had frozen and I quickly tried to wipe them away. "I…I came to see you."

"What time is it?"

"Um…" he looked at his watch. "Heh, four in the morning. But…I had to see you." He held out a few envelopes, "I grabbed your mail for you!"

"You're drunk," I said, reading his face.

He grinned, "Becca told me you were, too."

"Becca…" I looked away.

Darrel pulled me into a hug, or what I thought was a hug. And went to kiss me.

I pulled away, "Don't."

"What?"

"I'm…no. I said no."

"C'mon," he urged.

"I said no. Maybe you should have called first, saved yourself the trip."

"Hm…well a buddy of mine dropped me off. I was hoping I could spend the night?" Darrel looked at me hopefully. Though we had broken up a few months ago, that hadn't been the complete end of our relationship. Darrel looked a bit down when he realized that I really meant it, "Beth, I…I can't walk home."

I looked outside, but the window of the door was completely fogged and iced over from the snow. "You can crash on the couch," I finally muttered. I was back home, back in the real world. The previous days, hanging out with Becca, working…they were becoming clearer.

I helped him up the stairs, his feet unsteady under him. Once we got inside he tried again to encourage me into one of our infrequent yet common tumbles. "Darrel…no." I said again.

"What? You aren't seeing someone, are you?"

I couldn't look at him, I couldn't explain, could I? Nope, not a chance. "Yeah, I am." I said, that would be enough to get him to leave me alone.

Darrel leaned against the sofa, quiet for a while. "Uh…I don't feel good."

And then he threw up on my floor.


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39 – Hope**

Darrel passed out on my sofa two minutes after painting my wood floors. If anything had to convince me that I was home and real…this was it. Bella didn't have to deal with ex-boyfriends throwing up and passing out while attempting a booty call. No, those were _my_ type of problems.

I cleaned it up, trying not to add to the mess as I did so. Then proceeded to pull off Darrel's shoes so they couldn't mark up my couch. I considered going to bed myself, but…I wasn't tired. I didn't even feel buzzed anymore, I felt…I was in pain, that much I knew. I felt unreal. I was…oddly comfortable back to being myself, and I hated it.

I did the next thing I could do…I started to clean. I was on a mission, really…to destroy. I gathered the four books, and threw them in a box in my closet. I wouldn't see them again until October when I looked for my Halloween costume, by then…I would be better. If I wasn't, it would be a good month to burn them.

Next was my computer. The illegal movie I had downloaded, deleted. The photos I had saved, deleted. The movie soundtrack, deleted from my computer and my cellphone. The CD of it I had burned, broken and then put into a shredder. The bookmarks of good sites to watch that movie, deleted. My internet history and cookies, deleted. My recycle bin…cleared out.

It was gone…it didn't exist. None of it existed.

When I was finished, I continued cleaning. Getting rid of my cigarettes and alcohol that littered my office. I had no urge for either, strangely. Not at the moment, at least. Maybe I would at a later date…but not now. I felt as if I hadn't smoked in months, though the taste was still in my mouth. And I didn't want to fog my memories…not yet. Though I'm sure I would want to drown my pain soon enough.

"Ugh…how long was I out?"

It was noon already? I didn't believe it when I looked at the clock. "Hm, a good eight hours I guess."

"Ugh, I was so trashed last night," Darrel laughed, walking to the bathroom. Too normal…too common, too unreal. "What happened?"

"You threw up on my floor," I said angrily.

"No…" he laughed through the bathroom door. "Oh…jeez, I'm sorry."

"It's fine," I muttered. I just wanted him to leave, be gone. I looked outside, the blizzard was over, it didn't appear to have snowed much but the wind had caused drifts. I could see one of the employees of the company I rented from shoveling the drifts from the window.

"When did you wake up?" Darrel asked, the water was running in the bathroom now, and I could hear him brushing his teeth. He still had a toothbrush here…I would have to get rid of that.

"I haven't gone to bed yet," I said, starting to feel tired, finally. Almost exhausted, actually.

He came out of the bathroom, looking well rested and happy. "Really? Too hard to sleep with me so near?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. Every other weekend he would get drunk, come over, and leave. He rarely talked to me sober anymore, though I rarely talked to him sober, either.

"I have a lot on my mind," I said. "If you weren't snoring I wouldn't have realized you were here."

His face fell a bit, "What's wrong?"

One thing he was good at…was reading me. But he hadn't cared too much in the past few months.

"Nothing."

He grabbed my hand and pulled me to sit on the couch next to him, "Talk to me, Beth. You keep stuff bottled up until you explode, I don't want you to explode." I looked away, out the window. "You told me last night you were seeing someone…is it him?"

The pain was almost unbearable, and I fought back fresh tears. "Yeah, it's him."

"Were…were you seeing him while we were…" He didn't finish his sentence. I don't know if he meant to say when we were dating, or just while we were having our drunken weekend encounters…maybe either.

"No." I said.

I imagined him thinking how long it had been since we had hooked up, three weeks to the day. "Couldn't have been seeing him very long, then. Why does he have you so worked up?"

"Why do you care?"

Darrel was silent for a few moments, "I've been thinking a lot…about us. About what happened. Remember that conversation we had the night we broke up?"

I nodded. Darrel and I had a good relationship, and we had both decided that it just wasn't working out. In a way we were both hopeless romantics. We liked each other, could love each other…but we weren't madly in love with each other. Not like we had been when we first met, it just hadn't lasted.

"I keep wondering if…if maybe we should be together or not. I love you, Beth. We take good care of each other. I suppose this is a bad time to come out with this…with you seeing someone…but, last night I was going to ask for you back."

Yesterday I would have been happy to hear that. I was lonely, missing him, wanting him, or at least someone who would love me enough to want me, keep me…but this was a new day.

A rational part of me told myself that I should be happy. Darrel wasn't my prince charming, anyone's prince charming, that was for damned sure. But he was a good guy, he had been a good boyfriend, too. We complimented each other, or so we had been told. I could love him back, too. The only thing keeping me from telling him yes, from taking him back…was a dream.

I looked at the floor, forgetting that Darrel was sitting beside me. For the first time since I had started my mission to purge my apartment of everything related to what had happened, I thought about it. It had been too real to be a dream, hadn't it? Well…it hadn't been real, that was for sure. I had known that all along. Something…something was not right with it…but it hadn't been real. Edward, Robbie, whoever…whatever…I loved them. Loved them more than I thought possible. Nothing would ever compare to that fairy tale. I could either dwell on those memories, hang onto them and that fairy tale…

Or I could be rational, real, and go back to living my life. The life I had begun to ignore in favor of that fantasy. I was hurting, Darrel would help ease the pain. I knew this, and it was the right thing to do.

"Hey…did I tell you I grabbed your mail?" He said, apparently my long silence had bothered him. "Wasn't much out there. Bills and a card from your grandma. Looks like a Christmas card…heh, late as always, right?"

The mail was sitting on the coffee table, and he gathered it up to look at them. "Beth…are you going to say something?"

"Darrel…I can't think right now," I said finally. "I…I'm exhausted. I want to go to bed. I think you should go home."

He didn't look at me, or if he did I didn't see him. "Alright. Um…call me, okay?"

"Bye." I said.

I buried my face in my hands as the door closed. Tears flowing again. I should see a psychiatrist. I was insane, I was cracking up, loony, nuts.

I wiped my tears, trying to gain control. I refused to compare this to the pain that Bella had felt in the books, her pain was not real, it was fictional. My pain was irrational, yes, I could admit that…but mine was _real_, too.

I grabbed the card, definitely a late Christmas card. It was my stepfather's mother, he always had to remind her to include me in his family. She didn't like how I had shunned her son after he remarried less than a year after my mother was in the ground. He had apologized, profusely, knowing how bad it must look. I remembered his words, "Elizabeth…I loved your mother, and I love you. But…when I met Stella…I just knew she was the one. Like we had waited for each other forever. I know this is hard, I still consider you my family…and I hope one day you can do the same…"

The card was generic, wishing me a happy new year and an apology for the late card, her excuse this year was that she had lost my address.

Energy bill was the next one, it would be due in a few weeks, so I left it unopened.

The last one was from the company I rented from. I didn't get these often, but when I did it was letting me know of required checks, making sure I was taking care of the apartment I was living in. I opened it, if they were coming I would have to spend all of tomorrow cleaning as well.

'Dear tenant. This is to inform you that R.G. Properties will soon be changed to Prudential Properties as it has recently merged company. We expect this change to…' I stopped reading, not giving a damn. So I'd have to write my checks out to some other company, it was trivial compared to my current problems.

I went to stuff the letter back into the envelope, and found another piece of paper still inside. I pulled it out, it was normal notebook paper, a letter.

'Dear Elizabeth Wright; I wanted to assure you that during this change of ownership that our previous deal has not changed. Prudential has ensured me that your rent will not be raised for up to two years if you choose to stay in your current apartment. I wish you the best of luck.'

I remembered vaguely the conversation I had years ago with the owner of R.G. Properties, the charity that had given me an affordable apartment and a good job, and a chance to not drown in debt. It had been so long ago, had meant so much to me, but I had never really paid attention to his name before. But now I was reading the signature.

'Sincerely; Robert Gustafson'

What the blizzard had stopped me from doing earlier that morning, I did now. Only I did it better, more organized even though my mind was racing. I grabbed snow boots, winter jacket, and my purse. I ran down the stairs, any fatigue I had felt just minutes before was gone, replaced by adrenaline and probably psychosis.

I jumped into my car, the crappy Cobalt chugged to life. I let it warm up, giving the maintenance man a chance to tear apart the snow drifts that would probably get me stuck. Then, impatiently, I grabbed the shovel out of my backseat and began to help him.

"You in a hurry to get somewhere?" He asked.

I recognized him then, Paul. He was an older man, he had helped fixed my door when my lock broke about a year ago. "Yeah…um. I have to get to the airport."

"Yeah?" He said, breathing heavily from shoveling. "Where you going?"

"Washington. Seattle, I guess."

"Heard the airport just opened back up an hour ago. All this snow and weather has really killed the business."

"I bet," I laughed. "It's very important that I go, though. I'll drive if I have to."

"You going to be gone long?"

I swallowed, I didn't want to think about what was going to happen when I got there. What if things looked different? What if their house didn't exist? What if Robert Gustafson was just a popular name…or what if I had subconsciously remembered it and given it to my version of my fairy tale prince and protector?

I wouldn't think about that. I was insane, I was desperate. If this didn't exist…I would come back to Minneapolis with my tail between my legs…and call Darrel to comfort me.

"Few days at least."

"Well, I think you should be able to get out. The roads haven't been plowed yet, but as long as you don't have to stop or slow down until you get to the main roads, you should be fine. Give me a call if you do."

"Thanks, Paul." I said, throwing my shovel back into my car, and getting behind the wheel.

I grinned as I plowed my puny car through the snow drifts, correcting the car as it fishtailed into the other lane before it could hit oncomers. I was on another mission. One that would probably destroy me and make me break down and cry again, but a mission none the less.

I arrived at the airport shortly after two in the afternoon, the roads and traffic had slowed me down in enough to give me road rage, but once I was in the busy airport, I was calm and excited again.

"Ticket to Seattle?" I said, my voice too high, too eager.

I tried not to hear the cost as I handed over my credit card…good thing I wouldn't have to worry about rising rent for at least two more years. I couldn't afford this.

"Not until five?" I frowned.

"There is a flight to Salt Lake City boarding soon, and you could get on a plane to Seattle after a short layover there…but taking the five o'clock flight will get you to Seattle earlier."

I took the ticket, thinking I should have called ahead of time. A three hour wait in an airport was not what I needed. I needed something to do…I should have brought my Nintendo DS.

I walked into the bookstore, I could read. That was safe. I wouldn't read any vampire novels, not ever again, but luckily the fantasy genre wasn't the only possibility.

I read a paperback copy of the largest book I could find. It was boring, only a few pages into it and I could barely stand it. I mostly watched people, flights boarding and departing. Landing and emptying of people.

The minutes just flew by…really, I never had one thought of pulling out my hair or gouging out my eyes.

I sighed, trying again to read the book.

"Paging Elizabeth Wright. Elizabeth Wright to the ticket counter, please…"

My stomach churned as I heard my name get called. Had there been a problem with my credit card? I hadn't used it in a few months, but it was paid off…I was almost positive about that.

"I'm Elizabeth," I said, my voice small and weak.

The lady, different than the one who had sold me the ticket, smiled. "Oh…alright. Um, someone asked me to give this to you."

I took the envelope, it was blank on the outside and sealed. "Who?" I asked.

She shrugged, "Sorry, I didn't get a name."

I went back to the chairs, confused. Paul knew I was here, no one else had, though. Not like me…if I planned to go out of town, especially during the winter, I usually told someone…like Becca. Just in case something happened. Well, nothing was going to happen. Either I would find…him. Or I would fall into a deep pit of depression and never claw my way out of it.

I opened the envelope and pulled out an index card.

'You fidget while you wait. You look sleep deprived but wound up. I come and ask if the seat next to you is available, though there are several empty ones that I could choose besides the one right next to you.'

"Excuse me, is this seat taken?" A soft voice asked.

I choked out a laugh, "No, help yourself."

I couldn't look up from the card, not ready or willing to let myself believe it…at least not yet.

"My name is Robbie," he said quietly.

I sniffed loudly…his voice did sound different…the pitch was different, but the tone was too familiar. "I'm Beth."

"I know," he said softly, a smile to his voice.

A tear fell on the index card, my hands started shaking. I glanced over…just enough to see his hands folded on his lap. His fingers were long and pale, fingernails clean and cut.

"What is in Seattle?"

"Seattleites," I laughed. "I…I was actually going to visit a small town near Seattle. To see if…a good friend still lived there." I looked a bit further up, seeing his chest, now.

"Really?" he said, his voice sounding amused. "You know it would be a shame to go there, and find out that he no longer lives there."

"Yeah…unbearable," I whispered.

"It may be more unbearable to find out that a lot of what was once there…isn't there." He continued. "That's why I decided you shouldn't go."

My eyes looked a bit further up, seeing his pale neck. "I already bought the ticket."

He held up an identical one, "If you can't be persuaded, I'll join you. But…really not a whole lot there. I'll explain it all to you in detail, if you wish."

I couldn't look any further up. It was like I was starting all over, like it had been when I first entered that fictional world. This wasn't real, it was a dream…another dream, or a dream that never ended.

"Beth…do you know who I am?"

I closed my eyes and nodded, turning away from him. "I'm just…wondering if it's real or not."

He laughed roughly, "Ah…here we go again. I was hoping it would be easier to convince you this time around."

I sniffed again, fighting back the hot flow of tears. "Sorry to disappoint…"

A cold hand enveloped mine, and it was like it had never left. "Look at me, Beth."

And I did. He looked different…he wasn't the spitting image from the screen, of the movie. He looked similar…in a way. Gorgeous, still. His golden-brown eyes met mine, his hair was a more pronounced bronze color, his face shaped a bit differently…

What surprised me was that I recognized him immediately as Robbie…my Robbie. My heart raced, and I thought I would pass out.

"This may not be the best place to explain…" he said, looking anxious.

I nearly attacked him. Wrapping my arms around him in a hug that I refused to release. And he returned it. He buried his face in my hair, inhaling deeply, and I did the same. He smelled similar, I would say the same cologne but it wasn't that.

His lips brushed my cheek and that was all the invitation I needed to kiss him, force his lips to mine.

After a few minutes, or an hour…I don't know, I lost track, he pulled me away laughing, "This isn't the best place for _that_ either. Um…shall we go?"

"I'm not letting go of you," I said.

He grinned, tightening his hold on me, "I think I can handle that."


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40 - Finale**

He opened the passenger side door of my car, and I still gripped his arm like it was a lifesaver. He laughed again, easing into the car and into the driver's seat, without breaking my grip.

"Are you alright?"

"I might faint…but…I'm holding on _real_ tight," I said.

He brushed my cheek with the fingers from his free hand, looking concerned, "Beth…" he whispered again.

"Tell me…what…what is going on?"

He sighed, and started the car. I moved with his arm as he shifted, but he wasn't laughing now. "Really…I still don't know. I'm fighting off shock myself."

I rested my head on his shoulder, my arms wrapped around his one. I let the silence fill the car as he drove expertly through the snow, making it back to my apartment in half the time it had taken me. Here I thought I had been a superb driver in the snow drifts.

Paul was still shoveling when we parked the car. I released my grip from his arm to hold just his hand, but forcing him to exit out of the passenger side so I wouldn't have to let go.

"Beth…what happened?" Paul asked.

"Postponing my trip," I said, wrapping my arms around Robbie's waist.

Then we were sitting in my apartment. The faint smell of puke still there…I'd have to clean again.

"Were you sick?" he asked, his nose wrinkling. "Who was here?"

"Darrel stopped by. He was sick," I answered, leading us to the kitchen where the smell was less potent…for me at least.

"Anything I should know about?" he asked.

I settled myself into his lap…weird. I wasn't the petite Bella anymore, but I fit there perfectly still. "No." I rested my head on his shoulder, content just to be.

He took a few deep breaths, "We're finally here, together and safe."

"Finally." I agreed.

He laughed again, "How long…how long has it been for you?"

"I remember, prom," I said, wincing as I remembered the last sad moments. "Then next thing I knew it was three in the morning…and…I had a horrible feeling it was all a dream."

"So…about fourteen hours," he muttered. "I've been waiting for over four _years_."

"What?"

"It's a long story, Beth…and you look exhausted. But, with everything you gave me I made…plans, incase something happened. I'll tell you everything, I want to…I have to. I'm excited to!" he said, his voice rising and getting faster. "But…you look like you are about to fall asleep on me."

I hugged him tighter, furious at myself for feeling so tired. The relief had replaced the anxiety that had been keeping me awake. "I don't want to sleep." I complained.

He grinned, "I'm glad, because I don't want to wait."

"Then don't! Tell me everything you've been doing the past _four_ years…why is this the first time…"

"I promise, I'll get to everything. Let's…let's start back to when we were together. When you first told me about where you worked…it sparked my interest. See, Alice actually owns the company, has for the past six years. So it assured me that our worlds weren't completely apart. And R.G. Properties is something I've owned for the past nine years."

"Seriously?" I gasped.

He nodded. "When you told me how you got your apartment, and your job…well…I began to wonder…" He smirked. "If your trip to the past, to meet me, moves me to assist you in my future. Well, obviously, it did. I was still reluctant to have you leave me at all." His eyes grew distant as he remembered. "The night of prom, things started to get fuzzy, strange. You were in my arms, and you got blurry…you didn't look like Bella, I suppose…for a moment you looked like yourself. And then you faded away…out of my arms." His hands squeezed mine slightly. "It didn't stop there. It was like a fog had been lifted from my mind, and from everything around me. It was so…strange. I'm not the only one who noticed, either, my family did, too. The students at the school changed. Their names, their faces…but they went on as if nothing was different. Charlie disappeared, I looked into Renee and she didn't exist, either."

I looked away, frowning, "Don't exist?"

"They were made up, Beth." He said sadly. "I still hold onto my theory that Stephanie envisioned me and my family, she made Bella up. And you, Beth, made everything else real. Or real enough to be your world, your fantasy world."

"So…you are just a fantasy?"

"Oh you are impossible," he groaned. "Horrifically enough, I am real." He took a slow breath. "So…you vanished in my arms, the time stayed the same, though. I was still sitting on the bench at the prom, things just were different. Everything changed…but not how I felt for you. I went back to my car…"

Before I could stop him he took one of his hands away, and was reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a worn piece of paper, and handed it to me.

I didn't have to unfold it to know what it was, but I had to look at it. Read it once again, just to believe it. 'Robbie, my love. My fairy tale and fantasy that I never want to let go of, and after this I never will be able to. I'm terrified that this is coming to an end, it will bring me so much joy if it doesn't…but terror, too. If this has to be my last night to see you, I have to leave you something. Something so you know how much I love you. Not the Edward I thought I did…but you, Robbie. I will never forget you, and I would want to. I know I'm not dreaming, I'm just not creative enough to dream you up. Whatever you are, I am, we are…it is real enough. I love you. You are what I need, everything I want, and more than I deserve. I love you. I love you. I love you. I can't say it or write it or even think it enough, but it seems to be all I do. If you have to read this…then I'm gone. Maybe Bella will stay, and you will love her as you loved me…or maybe you won't exist either, or never remember me at all. But if you do…I have to leave this for you to remember me, remember that I was real and I loved you, more than I should, and so much that it is almost unbearable. I love you.'

"At first I wondered if you had been real at all. If you had been a figment of my own imagination…and then I found your purse. I found that letter, and I have read it every day. I knew what I had to do…and it has been the hardest thing not to…rush to where you were, where I knew you were, and just sweep you off your feet and take you."

"Why didn't you?"

"Alice stopped me," he frowned, then laughed. "Every time my willpower started to waver, she stopped me. Can you imagine…what if I had come to you when you were in college? Met you, fell in love with you…how would you, in a few years, be able to come back and even meet me? Every time I thought it, found it too unbearable to be without you a moment longer, Alice called me. She told me the future was ruined…if I did anything to jeopardize what happened to you last night…it would be a catastrophe!"

"I wouldn't have minded knowing you sooner," I whispered.

"Different outcomes. I had to…please myself with watching from afar. Get to know you through others…spying, I suppose." He laughed. "You can't imagine how difficult for me it was to…watch you fall in love with Darrel, and he fall in love with you. When I knew deep inside myself that you were meant for me, and me alone."

"How did you do it?" I asked…wondering if he wasn't just spying but peeping, too.

"I focused on this moment. I knew it had to be coming, I knew it…and wanted it more than anything. I wanted it more than I hated being away from you." He took a breath. "So…with the few clues you gave me about the more difficult time in your life, I knew when it was at least…almost safe for me to talk to you. I called you, before you were evicted. I never wanted to stop talking to you…I wanted to come over and hold you, console you after your mother's death…kill Roy for leaving you at your precious moment. But…Alice stopped me." He sighed. "Well, she didn't see anything wrong with killing Roy, I actually had to stop _her_ from doing that."

I frowned but he didn't acknowledge it.

"Alice got you the job, and…I sat back to watch you. At times I would leave, attempting to distract myself…but I was always back within a few weeks. In that time Alice kept her eye on you, you were…living. Not always happy…"

"I can't believe you waited four years," I muttered.

He laughed again, the sound rich and deep and touched my core. "I remember feeling how slow time seemed to move…but now, it all seems like it went very quickly. Nothing matters now…nothing at all. Just that…it's over, and you are here, and I am here. I waited until today, I knew that…it had to be coming. You didn't seem sure about the date when we had talked…but I've been making preparations. I'm selling my real estate company…"

"I got the letter," I smiled.

He frowned, "Really? It shouldn't have been sent out for at least two more days. Hm. Alice is working on striking a deal to sell the company you work for…it's time for us to move on. Carlisle has to leave his practice. Rosalie has to sell her store…so on, I had a busy night. When I came here this afternoon and your car wasn't here…I was anxious. The roads were horrible and people drive like maniacs…"

"Still worried about my safety?"

"Always," he grinned. "And your car is barely running anymore. Beside the point. I told Paul I was here to see you, and he told me I had just missed you. He said you were going to Seattle and wouldn't be back for a while. I knew….that you were going to try and find me! That it had happened, that you were back from your trip into the past. Alice called me, told me that you were getting on a plane, and I told her that she was too late, I already knew." He laughed. "She didn't like that at all. But told me I was going to make it there in time. Plenty of time. And…here we are." His hand caressed my face. "Tell me, what have I missed?"

"I went insane last night. I…woke up at my desk…first thing I did was run outside. Darrel showed up…" he grimaced at the name. "And I let him in. He got sick, passed out on my couch. I spent the rest of the morning cleaning...getting rid of those stupid books." He laughed then. "I…I was so…broken, inside. I had to get rid of anything that would remind me of it…because I couldn't believe it was real. It was too hard to believe that what…what had happened was real. I wanted to, so badly…but…"

"Stop it," he whispered. "Don't think that, never again."

"I opened the letter from you," I said quickly, meeting his eyes. "I saw your name…on the piece that you had written by hand. And…I freaked out. I had spent hours trying to keep it out of my mind, and then there it was…a sliver of hope that…" I laughed. "I can't believe it…"

"Believe it, please…believe it." He muttered.

"Your family remembers me?"

"I haven't let them forget," he laughed.

"Can you still read minds?"

"Not yours," he grinned. "And you still smell marvelous!"

"In a good or a bad way?"

"A very good way," he said. "The author had our thirst a bit wrong. It's not nearly as hard to resist as she makes it seem…that was why I didn't understand you at first…how your smell made me…hunger. But…it's not like that now. But I can see how she had to make changes to make the stories interesting."

"What about other vampires? Are they…going to be suspicious with how much she knows?"

He laughed, "It's a fantasy novel. We are hardly concerned about exposure. If anyone were to find out and shout, they are going to be considered insane. And simply, we don't stay in one spot long enough for people to get suspicious. Hanging around this area for so long is…uncommon. That's why we are all so anxious to leave."

"Leave?" I gasped.

"You are coming with us." He said, not a request.

Relief flooded through me, "This is real?"

"This is real."

"You want to keep me?"

"Forever."

I was eating breakfast as the sun rose. I had to keep looking at Robbie to see that…he was there. "We're leaving next weekend. The eleventh."

"Where are we going?"

"Northern Canada is what I was planning. The others might come with for a while, to help…but they may scatter into the four winds."

"Help with what?"

"Help you adjust to your new life…or, existence." He said, looking at me anxiously.

"I'm really going to become a vampire?"

"If that is what you want," he said, it sounded like it was difficult for him to say it.

"I'm going to sound ridiculous…but, I think I need more than a week to prepare for that!"

"Why?"

"Don't laugh, alright?" I said, and he nodded. "Well. There is my apartment."

"Don't worry about that." He said quickly.

"My job."

"Or that."

"My stuff…"

"U-haul." He muttered.

"My friends. I can tell them I got a great job offer and disappear…send Christmas cards and birthday cards, and…that will work, I suppose…"

"Why do you want to delay this?"

"Well, if I'm going to be frozen for all eternity, I want to lose at least thirty pounds before that happens, alright?"

He laughed, and I scowled at my empty plate. "Beth, you are gorgeous as you are…"

"I don't want to be the only vampire with love handles, alright?"

"Esme was a…larger woman, when she was human…the venom burns it off. She's lean now. She was much larger than you."

"Are you lying to me so you can have your way with me sooner?" I questioned.

"I would…I'm evil enough for that, of course. But no, this is the truth. The venom burns it off. Fastest diet in the world with a side effect of immortality and a thirst for blood."

"So…let me get this straight. You are real. You are a vampire who can read minds, but not mine. You love me, and you want to make me your vampire companion for all eternity. And when you do that, I am going to lose all my extra weight?"

He laughed, and nodded.

I left my chair and went to his lap, "Why the hell are we waiting until next weekend?"

His face lit up, and he kissed me. "Please don't tempt me. I've had to be good for too long, and I have to remind myself that another week isn't much longer…but I'm very easily seduced."

He let out a sigh when there was a knock on my door. I frowned, it was six in the morning on a Sunday…what idiot would consider this?

"It's Alice," he muttered, lifting me as he stood up.

"Alice?" I grinned.

"She's very excited…she may break your door down if we don't go see her."

I heard a woman's voice outside the door as I neared it, "Start the ad tomorrow, big letters. Got it? Good."

I opened the door, and frowned. "Tiffany…"

"Beth!" She grinned, throwing herself into my apartment and wrapping her arms around me.

Tiffany was my boss from work. A puny thing with short brown hair. I only saw her once a month for staff meetings that I couldn't avoid, though I tried to, but I had never said more than a few words to her. She pressed her cheek against mine, and it was surprisingly cold.

"It is such a relief to know you know everything," she said in my ear, and then released me. "Robbie said if he couldn't see you, I shouldn't be allowed to. But how on earth am I going to run a business without seeing my staff?"

My jaw dropped, "Alice?"

I met her eyes, they were a clear blue. Was she wearing contacts? But when I did…I recognized her as Robbie's sister, my friend. The vampire that had tried to keep me safe from James, that had put up with me while I was crippled. "Alice!" I said, laughing and smiling now.

"I know, I know. I look different…but I really am the same."

"Your eyes…" I muttered.

She rolled those pretty blue eyes, "False. You keep your eye color…but they do get darker as you get hungry."

"She's still as annoying as she was when you met her," Robbie promised me.

Tiffany stared down at me, "You are leaving me in a real bind, you know. I have potential offers on the company, and you are abandoning me. Systems are going to fail because the new guy is an idiot, and it's going to delay me getting the hell out of here."

"I didn't know that…_you_ owned the company," I muttered. "Well, Robbie told me that you did…but, I had…no idea all these years that…you…"

She grinned, "You weren't supposed to, that's the beauty of it. The owner is supposedly some fat, rich, bastard and when he sells the company I'm going to leave in a fit of rage. Isn't it wonderfully dramatic! They'll talk about it for weeks!" She giggled.

"All this time…you were right there," I muttered.

She laughed harder, "Wait until you meet Carlisle….again. He wanted me to ask you if you've been flossing."

"Flossing?"

"Yes." Robbie frowned. "He opened up a practice here as Dr. Carl Sutton…."

"Carlisle is my dentist!" I hissed, then started laughing. "Wow. Is Rosalie the girl who cuts my hair?"

"No. Rosalie owns a dress shop downtown," Robbie explained. "Emmett helps her. Jasper has been teaching classes at the college. And Esme is a home decorator."

"Hm," I frowned. "What do they all think?"

"They are going to drop everything to help you move," Alice said quickly. "You have no idea how…difficult, Robbie has been the past few years. They are eager to have you back in his life…and welcome you. They can't wait to meet you…again." Alice sighed. "It's hard for them to think of you as anyone but Bella, and they don't quite understand what happened like we do. But, again…they are just too eager to have Robbie back to normal."

"As normal as he can be?"

"Exactly!" Alice grinned. "Well, we have a lot to do, don't we? Where should we start?"

"Well," I sighed, "First, I quit."

Alice shrugged, "Fine, be that way."

"Then…today I think I should drive to see my stepdad. Smooth things over with him and…say goodbye. I only have a few other friends worth saying goodbye to."

"If you come into work just for tomorrow we'll throw you a nice going away party…and you'll get a chance to teach the new guy…" Robbie growled at Alice. "Fine…fine…"

I looked around my apartment. A few years of collected things. "This will take forever to pack up."

"Well, Beth…do you really _need_ everything?" Alice asked, nudging the sofa with her shoe. "This can be thrown out. Robbie will buy you anything else you need or want."

"I do have a few hundred years of pennies saved up…" Robbie shrugged.

"Few hundred?" I asked, looking at him with wide eyes.

"Uh…yeah." He laughed. "Um…I'm a bit older than you thought."

"How old?"

"Roughly three hundred."

I blinked. "Wow. Then…how old are the others?"

"Carlisle is roughly two-hundred and fifty, Esme not much younger…"

"You are older than Carlisle?"

Robbie grinned, "Yeah…I…" he laughed. "I created him. I know, the other way in the book…"

Alice smirked, "Robbie, you never told dear Beth that you are the leader of the coven?"

"I had much more interesting things to discuss with her last night," he said defensively. "Besides, it barely matters…"

"It barely matters that you are a dirty old man hunting this sweet young girl?" Alice grinned.

I wrapped my arms around his waist, "It doesn't matter…"

"It doesn't?"

"I'm surprised…definitely. But…I can't trust those books, can I?"

"When I find them, I will burn them for you," he promised, kissing the top of my head.

"We'll donate them. I don't care about those stupid things…the real thing is so much better."

"Mm, I agree."

Alice sighed, "I'm right here, don't you two forget about that. Really," she snorted. "Alright, Beth, go tie up your loose ends. I'll help the others do what they can today. I'll see you both tomorrow."

It still felt unreal, when I stepped out of my bathroom wrapped in a towel, to have Robbie sitting on my couch watching TV. Remarkable as he held my hand while he drove my car out of the city and through the small towns to my stepfather's house. When I stepped out of the car he didn't follow, "Aren't you coming?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Definitely."

I knocked on the door, and he answered almost immediately. I hadn't seen him much the past year, and I know it had bothered him that I would rather eat cold sandwiches than spend the holidays with him and his new wife.

"Hey, Bill," I muttered as he hugged me.

"Lizzy, come in. It's so good to see you…who's this?"

"Hello, Bill, I'm Robert," Robbie said, nodding to him but keeping his arms around my waist.

"Well…come in. Sorry the house is a bit of a mess, Stella's granddaughter was over this morning."

I let him have his chit chat for a good half hour. Talking, laughing. Even Stella chimed in, but she kept her distance…she knew she wasn't my favorite person.

"Bill…I came to tell you that, something pretty sudden happened." He looked at me eagerly. "I got a job offer, and I'm moving, out of state. Out of country, actually. I have to leave this week. I can't take half the stuff I have, obviously."

His face changed, he hadn't expected that. He glanced at Robbie, then back at me. "Oh…well, that's great, kiddo! Where are you going?"

"Russia," Robbie smiled, squeezing my hand. "We're leaving together."

"So…you two are…a couple?"

"Yeah, Bill," I nodded, Robbie making me answer that one.

"Good pay?" he asked.

"Excellent. A chance in a lifetime opportunity for her field of work," Robbie answered for me. "When she accepted it, I decided to drop everything so I could stay with her."

"Wow, that's…impressive." Bill muttered.

"I obviously can't bring my car," I said, getting back to what I had started saying. "It's still in your name, I don't…"

"Well, sell it. Get yourself some starting cash…"

"I'm receiving an excellent moving bonus," I answered before Robbie could. "Besides…you and mom bought it for me."

"It was a present…"

"And it did me well. It doesn't work the best anymore, I've been holding onto it because it had been a present. But, I can let it go now. I want you to have it. Fix it up, give it to Troy," Troy was Stella's youngest son, a high school student, "sell it for parts. I have my TV, DVDs and a lot of other stuff that I don't know what to do with. I guess…it's my sore attempt to redeem myself for being such a crappy daughter the past couple of years. If Mom could see how I treated you….she'd smack me."

"No…"

"Bill, since I met…Robbie, I understand now. I know how…how you were able to move on so quickly when you met Stella. I know it's not a tactful thing to try and buy back forgiveness…"

"Elizabeth, you have nothing to forgive. I'm just glad that…you found someone. I know how you must have felt. First I came in, as if I was replacing your father. Then Stella came in."

I shook my head. "Mom found you to ease her pain over my Dad. Stella came in to ease your pain over mom. And now Robbie is here for me. I think we've come full circle." I took a long breath. "I have a lot of junk left over from college, I'll look through it. I'm sure there is a lot of stuff that Troy could use in a few years, or even now. If that's alright?"

"Of course, kiddo," Bill nodded. "That'd be great."

Robbie held my hand as he drove back to the city. "They are quite a pair, aren't they?"

"Yeah. She really is good for him," I muttered.

"But you don't like her?"

"I'm getting over it. Really, I am happy for them. Happy for myself. I feel like a huge weight has lifted off my shoulders." I frowned. "I wonder if Becca would suspect you."

"Oh? That is your friend with the vampire obsession as well, isn't she?" Robbie grinned.

"Yeah. Worse than me," I laughed.

"I think that's impossible…you were obsessed enough to transport yourself! I doubt that anyone can be as obsessive as you."

"Except for you?"

"You got me there," he agreed with a grin.

With seven vampires to do all the heavy lifting, all I had to do was direct. After the introductions and hugs…unfamiliar faces with familiar eyes. Robbie and I delivered my hand-me-downs to Becca and Bill. Becca received my computer and hard-cover collection of the Twilight saga, let her obsession continue. I'd miss her. Bill got most of my electronics for his stepson, plus the car. The car ran surprisingly well now…Emmett and Jasper tinkered with it while they were bored one evening. It would be a good first car for Troy, I decided.

I'll never know or understand exactly what the hell happened, but it's hard to care knowing that Robbie is by my side, and will be forever.

**the end, please review, thank you for reading**


End file.
